'I couldn't go back on my word because everyone had just taken it that I had retired'
Emma Duffy
SIN É, BUT still some incredible memories made with a special group of friends. Up the Cats always.
Grace Walsh had made the decision to retire from inter-county camogie, but an Instagram post last July unintentionally made it public.
“It’s funny, because I actually just put up that post as a reflection on the year just gone. It wasn’t anything to do with retiring,” the Kilkenny All-Ireland winner tells The 42.
“I had told the players, so the players knew that I was retired. I think people just jumped on it and assumed it was a retirement post, which it wasn’t. I actually wasn’t ready for everything that came with it.”
Walsh was still coming to terms with her decision — one she stresses she is content with now — so it was a whirlwind couple of days.
“I had never any plans to make any announcement or anything like that, so I just wasn’t ready for it and that was such an emotional time for me, because it was over then.
“I couldn’t even go back on my word because everyone had just taken it that I had retired. It was emotional. I wasn’t really able to talk about it, to be honest.
“Even though I’m so content with my decision, it was just such a huge part of my life for such a long time, as long as I remember. It’s hard — even though you know it’s right for you, it’s still hard to walk away.”
And so, a glittering 14-year career which yielded three All-Ireland senior titles and three All-Stars officially ended at the age of 31. There will be no U-turn, she insists.
Stepping away had been on Walsh’s mind since the end of the 2023 season. A three-month layoff after surgery on her foot left her hemming and hawing, but the Dublin-based nurse felt the urge to return and settled on one final season.
“I knew (2024) was going to be my last year, whatever way the year ended. I knew that I was going to finish that year,” she says.
“I think just the travelling up and down from Dublin kind of took it out of me. My body was feeling a bit tired. I had been on the go for a long time.
“As much as I still loved playing, I don’t know if my heart was 100% in it with Kilkenny if I was to go back — and I don’t like doing things unless I’m 100% head in the game.”
Walsh kept the retirement decision to herself until Kilkenny bowed out of the race for the O’Duffy Cup at the quarter-final stage for the second consecutive season.
A week after the disappointing defeat to Dublin, she posted her 2024 recap on social media, and that was that. Sin é, as she wrote herself.
Retired. A former Kilkenny camogie player. Ex inter-county star.
Nine months on, how do those words sit?
“It’s actually funny, coming into this (interview), I was sent a thing saying former Kilkenny camogie player, and I was like, ‘Oh my god.’ It was kind of weird.
“I don’t know, maybe it hasn’t really hit me yet. Maybe come championship, things will change a little bit. It’s weird hearing the word ‘former’ but I’m happy with my decision.”
Life after Kilkenny has been busy, but brilliant. A change, though a welcome one.
Walsh got engaged to her partner, Wexford hurler Jack O’Connor, in September, and wedding planning is in full swing. The couple enjoyed the trip of a lifetime to Australia in December and January, spending five weeks travelling up and down the east coast, starting in Brisbane and finishing in Sydney.
On her return home, Walsh started a new nursing job in the National Breast Screening Clinic, Merrion. “I absolutely love it. I meet these incredible women every single day, and it’s just nice to be a support to them through probably the hardest journey of their lives.”
Camogie remains a central cog as she continues to play for her club, Tullaroan, while watching Kilkenny — and O’Connor’s Wexford, with clashes now a thing of the past — bring enjoyment.
The transition to spectator has been a seamless one. “People are like, ‘Is it weird watching them?’ I’ve honestly just enjoyed cheering them on. All I want is to see the girls succeed and see Kilkenny camogie grow.”
Walsh is confident it will, and backs the new-look Cats to thrive under Tommy Shefflin. A first All-Ireland title since 2022 is achievable, she says, as championship moves into full view.
“Look, I just think any year, it’s anyone’s year. I’m sure that they would have preferred to do a little bit better in the league, but the most important thing is they stayed at the top level.
“Tommy Shefflin, he’s unbelievable and he knows his stuff. He’s passionate about camogie, he wants what’s best for Kilkenny camogie and for the players, and I think that’s really important. I just think he he’s going to do great things with them.
“I think they have the potential to go all the way, they just need to get their focus right on the next game now, look forward to the Leinster championship and hopefully get a bit of silverware. But after seeing them playing, I definitely think the potential is there for them to go all the way. It’s just about finding their groove and getting it right on the right days.”
She sees the playing field levelling; counties like Tipperary, Dublin and Waterford bridging the gap to the long-standing heavyweights of Kilkenny, Cork and Galway, and welcomes the shift.
“It’s nice to not have a top three. It’s nice to know that it could be anyone’s game, and on any given day, you don’t know what’s going to happen. I just think it shows how much (work) has gone into camogie itself. It’s good to see the improvements, and the game is improving all the time.”
For Walsh now, it’s full focus on where it all began. Her beloved Tullaroan. Before the All-Irelands, the All-Stars and the call-up which came after a challenge match for the county minors against the seniors in 2010… it all began here.
And here is where it will end.
“I’m just buzzing to be back at the club,” Walsh smiles. “I feel like I owe a lot to my club, because they have been incredible support to me for the last 14 years, playing with Kilkenny.
“It’s nice to be able to give back and to be with the girls every week, training with them. I’m inspired by the younger girls. Hopefully we have some success this year and in the near future.
“That’s the next goal: the dream would be to win a championship with Tullaroan. That would just be the cherry on top.”
- Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
The 42
