1W2A0093
By Cian O’Connell
“I'll leave him where he is at, he can keep doing it, I'll stay in the background, as much as I can, for the moment, I think,” Grace Walsh laughs when asked about joining her accomplished brother as a respected and valued analyst.
The Walsh family have contributed so much to hurling and camogie. Kilkenny teams for the past couple of decades were blessed to have such gifted and gritty players.
Grace Walsh, though, is content not to be performing on the senior inter-county stage anymore. “I think I've adapted pretty quickly, I was actually in Australia for five weeks over December and January,” she says.
"So, I definitely really wasn't thinking about it then. Since I've come home, I've started a new job. I feel like life has been pretty busy. Somebody said to me that they think I'm busier now since I've retired compared to before I retired. I think I've settled in.
“It is nice to be a supporter, to watch the girls play, to be honest. I'm liking that side of things, it was just my time to go, and I'm very content with my decision.”
Attending matches isn’t an issue. Walsh is comfortable watching on from the sidelines. “I'm able to go, I went to their first league game against Galway,” she responds.
“That was the first game I had gone to since I retired. I just enjoyed it. Everybody was asking was it weird, but it just didn't really feel like that. I don't know, it felt like it was nice to know the players on the pitch, to be able to shout them on. I actually found it fine, to be honest.”
Grace Walsh, Kilkenny, and Aishling O'Neill, Dublin, in action during the 2024 Glen Dimplex Senior All-Ireland Championship quarter-final at Croke Park. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
A thoroughly enjoyable stint with Kilkenny featured three All-Ireland triumphs. What is it like to occasionally reflect on those days? “Even though I'm really content with my decision, I still find it hard to actually talk about it as it was such a huge part of my life for so long,” Walsh says.
“Since I was in secondary school, I was on the Kilkenny team. I didn't really know life without it. Definitely, I'm able to look back. The club, in fairness, held a fundraiser night for myself and my cousin Miriam on our retirement.
“It was really nice that night, to be able to reflect, to talk about the good stories and good memories. I've plenty of them from the good and the bad days, you still have good memories that you can pluck out of it.”
There is something about Tullaroan. “It is a special place,” Walsh responds. “It isn't very big so everyone knows everyone. When you were growing up, when you were playing in primary school, your primary school team was your club team, too.
“So, you just grew up with the boys and girls, and because we all played together, we're pretty close knit. Hurling just means everything to the people of Tullaroan, to the majority of them anyway.
“We've had a few special highlights in the club, that always brings people together, those kind of celebrations. We've a very supportive club. When you're playing at inter-county level, it is so important to have that support from your club, to allow you that time to play, and then comeback to give what you can to the club.
“That was a huge factor in why I stepped away from Kilkenny, I really feel I owe a lot to the club for being so supportive of my Kilkenny career. I want to be able to give the club as much time as I can now, while I still have some energy in the legs.”