Galway sharpshooter Shane Walsh may have top-scored in this year’s All-Ireland football final with nine points but down Leeside way, his namesakes from Kanturk created what surely must be a record with two sets of cousins scoring every one of Kanturk’s 17 scores in a football match.
Former Cork football and hurler Aidan Walsh is the veteran among the seven members of the Walsh clan at 32 and he chipped with a late goal to seal a 4-13 to 0-9 win over Ballyvourney’s Naomh Aban in Kanturk’s first group game in this year’s Cork Premier Intermediate Football Championship.
Aidan, who won an All-Ireland football medal for Cork in their 2010 win over Down, lined out at midfield alongside his cousin, Paul (25), who played midfield for Cork when they beat Kerry in last year’s Munster semi-final when Mark Keane snatched victory with a late goal.
Aidan’s younger brother, Tommy (19), a former Cork minor hurler, was centre back for Kanturk while their cousin, Ryan (24), who has played both hurling and football for Cork, was centre forward with their other cousins, Alan (20), Colin (19) and Ian (28) completed the full-forward line.
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In the event, Colin, who played minor and hurling for Cork, opened the scoring for Kanturk with the first of his four points while Alan, who has played under-20 football for Cork, bagged two goals, Ryan chipped in with 1-2 and Ian kicked five points while Tommy and Paul both scored a point each.
Ian, the only one of the seven Walsh clan never to play for Cork at some level, told The Irish Times that it was only after the match was over and that they had come off the pitch in Millstreet on Saturday evening that they realised that they had done all the scoring for Kanturk.
“It was only afterwards when we saw a Tweet going around that we realised that we had scored all our scores which must be a bit unusual alright, but it was nice because it was the first time that all seven of us had actually played together,” he said.
Ian explained that Tommy had missed last year’s championship due to injury while others in the clan missed games in this year’s league with injuries, but notching up 4- 13 between them has led to some good- natured banter and slagging from the rest of the team.
“We were joking that we better start passing the ball to the rest of the lads, or we’ll be in trouble,” said Ian whose focus, along with that of his four brothers and two cousins, turns this weekend to Kanturk’s first group game in the Cork Senior Hurling Championship against Newtownsharndum.
And what of Galway’s Shane Walsh – is he by any chance related to them?
“Not that we know but we’d happily claim him if he’s available,” said Ian with a laugh. “We have a couple of tough games coming up in the football championship and having somebody of Shane’s calibre on board would certainly be a huge help.”
