Walsh Island
| Walsh Island Inis na mBreatnach | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
  Walsh Island Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 53°13′51″N 7°13′22″W / 53.2307°N 7.2228°WCoordinates: 53°13′51″N 7°13′22″W / 53.2307°N 7.2228°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Elevation | 89 m (292 ft) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | N518204 |
Walsh Island (Irish: Inis na mBreatnach) is a small village in Offaly, Ireland. It takes its name from the surrounding hinterland which is a fertile area of land on a hill (104m) located in a vast area of bogland known as the Bog of Allen, (hence, "island"). The village is one kilometre west of the R400 regional road which runs through the bog below. Walsh Island is 12km from the nearest town, Portarlington.
Sports
Walsh Island is known throughout the country for its achievements in Gaelic Athletic Association. The small village has produced two All-Ireland winning football captains in Willie Bryan and Richie Connor. Walsh Island's Matt Connor was also selected in 1999 as a member of the GAA Millennium Football team. Matt was also the subject of a Laochra Gael television programme on TG4. The team in 2006 was also featured on the RTÉ programme ParkLive.
The local soccer team, the Walsh Island Shamrocks, had been very successful during its 20-year history. The team plays its home games at Carty Park. They play in the C.C.F.L League (for teams from Counties Offaly, Laois, Westmeath and Longford).
The village also has a small handball alley and is known for having a well preserved blacksmith's forge in the village centre.
Shops
Walsh Island has had two shops: Kavanagh's Store which incorporates the local post office, owned by John and Breda Kavanagh, and the Island Shop (now stopped trading). The village has one pub called 'The Hoppers', featured recently on "Pub Spy" with a good report. The Hoppers is run by Paul and Madeleine Flint.