*The grave of Bishop Willie Walsh. Photograph: John O’Neill
A TRAIL-BLAZER, loyal friend and a man who brought the church forward “hundreds of years” in Clare is how county councillors have remembered Bishop Willie Walsh.
Clare Council’s March meeting was adjourned for a brief spell as a mark of respect to the late Bishop of Killaloe, Willie Walsh.
Bishop of the Diocese of Killaloe from 1994 to 2010, Walsh died peacefully at his home in Ennis on February 19th aged ninety. The Roscrea native’s reposal and funeral was attended by thousands with a message of sympathy from Cardinal Pietro Parolin on behalf of Pope Francis read at the funeral.
In 2010 following his retirement as Bishop, a civic reception was held at Áras Contae an Chláir. In the same chamber on Monday, the March meeting of the local authority was adjourned for fifteen minutes as a mark of respect to the former St Flannan’s College maths and physics teacher.
Proposing the adjournment, Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) noted the “huge contribution to the Diocese of Killaloe” made by Bishop Willie. He admitted that his proposal had not been agreed among the party groupings prior to the meeting but felt it was “appropriate” to acknowledge Walsh. Cllr Hayes stated, “he was a loyal friend to us all here in every community across the county and the Diocese, he led from the front and he was true to his job and his beliefs”.
Seconding the proposal, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) recalled that she spoke with Willie six days before his death and kissed him on the forehead as he was leaving a function, “I told him I’d see him soon”. She said she was in the company of three ninety year olds and was struck by how “hale and hearty” the trio were.
“He was a crusader even though the title of his book said he wasn’t,” Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) commented while referencing Walsh’s memoir ‘No Crusader’. She lauded his work “advocating for women and domestic violence in the church at a time when it wasn’t spoken about”. She believed it was fitting that the last event she met him at was organised by Clare Haven, “he was a trail blazer in that regard”.
According to Cllr Pat Daly (FF), “he was a man of the people, he brought the church forward hundreds of years in this county, he got people to go back to mass”. The Ennis man informed the meeting that he was a Munster championship at St Flannan’s College while Willie was the team coach. He mentioned that Willie was a former President of Éire Óg GAA Club and the President of Clare GAA at the time of his death.
Walsh was “a very distant relative” of Cllr Paul Murphy (FG). “He fought for the under-privileged and wanted to see justice being served”. He continued, “He wasn’t popular with the church at all times, he was never afraid to fight for what was right”.
Willie’s move to College Grove in Ennis left the entire estate “delighted,” Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) reflected. “He was an extremely intelligent person, he went through difficult times with the church but did it with dignity”.
Mayor of the Ennis Municipal District, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) said she has had few dealings with Walsh during her time in political life over the past eleven years. “I didn’t have much interaction with him in my adult life but I remember him as a positive role model for the church when I was a child, a positive gentleman is what I can remember of him back then”.
