Sim Walton
Encyclopedia
Simon 'Sim' Walton was a famous Irish
sportsperson. He played hurling
with his local club Tullaroan
and with the Kilkenny
senior inter-county team in the first two decades of the 20th century. Walton captained Kilkenny to the All-Ireland
title in 1912.
Waltons’s status as one of Kilkenny’s all-time greats is self-evident. In a senior inter-county career that lasted for seventeen years he won seven All-Ireland
titles and ten Leinster
titles. Walton, together with Dick Doyle
, Jack Rochford
and Dick Walsh
, became the first player in the history of the championship to win seven All-Ireland hurling titles on the field of play. This record was later surpassed by Christy Ring
and John Doyle
.
, County Kilkenny
in 1880. He grew up on the family farm and was educated at the local national school. Walton inherited a love of hurling
from his father, John Walton, who won a senior county championship title with Tullaroan
in 1887. He later followed in his father’s footsteps and became renowned as an excellent centre-forward and full-forward.
As well as hurling Walton also had a very keen interest in greyhound racing
. He kept many championship greyhounds, the most famous of the all, Captain Sim, ran in the Waterloo Cup.
Sim Walton died in 1966. Over thirty years after his death he was chosen in the full-forward position on the Tullaroan Hurling Team of the Century. Walton's grand-nephew, Liam Doyle
, won All-Ireland medals with Clare
in 1995 and 1997.
with the famous Tullaroan
side in his local area in Kilkenny. He enjoyed much success with the club, winning his first senior county championship title in 1901. Walton added more county titles to his collection in 1902, 1904, 1907, 1910, 191 and 1915.
in 1903. That year he won his first Leinster
title, however, Kilkenny were later defeated by Cork in the 'Home Final.' In 1904 Walton won his second Leinster medal before later winning his very first All-Ireland
medal following a victory over Cork. The following year he won a third provincial title before adding a second All-Ireland medal to his collection. In 1907 Walton captured a fourth Leinster medal as well as a third All-Ireland medal following yet another victory over Cork. He won his fourth All-Ireland medal in 1909 following a comfortable victory over Tipperary
.
In 1911 Kilkenny were named All-Ireland champions without having to play in the final, thus giving Walton his fifth All-Ireland medal. In 1912 Walton was appointed captain of the Kilkenny team. He played a real captain's role, guiding Kilkenny to yet another Leinster title. In the All-Ireland final against Cork he scored the winning goal. That day he collected his sixth All-Ireland medal. In 1913 Kilkenny completed the three-in-a-row with Walton collecting n eighth Leinster medal and a record seventh All-Ireland medal. He remains one of only a handful of Kilkenny players to win seven All-Ireland medals on the field of play. This record was later surpassed by Christy Ring
of Cork and John Doyle
of Tipperary
. In retirement from hurling Walton trained greyhounds and had much success.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
sportsperson. He played hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
with his local club Tullaroan
Tullaroan GAA
Tullaroan is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the village of Tullaroan in County Kilkenny, Ireland. The club was founded in 1884 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling. Tullaroan is the most successful club in the history of the Kilkenny Senior Hurling...
and with the Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
senior inter-county team in the first two decades of the 20th century. Walton captained Kilkenny to the All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
title in 1912.
Waltons’s status as one of Kilkenny’s all-time greats is self-evident. In a senior inter-county career that lasted for seventeen years he won seven All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
titles and ten Leinster
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....
titles. Walton, together with Dick Doyle
Dick Doyle (Kilkenny hurler)
Dick Doyle was a famous Irish sportsperson who played hurling for Mooncoin and Kilkenny in the 1900s. He is regarded as one of Kilkenny's greatest ever players.- Club :...
, Jack Rochford
Jack Rochford
Jack Rochford was an Irish hurler who played as a full-back for the Kilkenny senior team from 1902 until 1916....
and Dick Walsh
Dick Walsh
Richard Walsh , better known as Dick 'Drug' Walsh, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Mooncoin and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the early years of the 20th century. Walsh captained Kilkenny to three All-Ireland titles in 1907, 1909 and...
, became the first player in the history of the championship to win seven All-Ireland hurling titles on the field of play. This record was later surpassed by Christy Ring
Christy Ring
Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring , better known as Christy Ring, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Glen Rovers club from 1941 until 1967 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1963. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in...
and John Doyle
John Doyle (hurler)
John Doyle was an Irish sportsperson and politician, hailed as one of the best defenders in hurling and his county's most iconic player upon his death. He played hurling with his local Holycross-Ballycahill club from the 1940s until the 1970s and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county...
.
Biography
Sim Walton was born in Reimeen, TullaroanTullaroan
Tullaroan is a village on the west side of County Kilkenny in the Slieveardagh Hills near the Tipperary border. Tullaroan is also the name of the local civil parish.-Sport:...
, County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
in 1880. He grew up on the family farm and was educated at the local national school. Walton inherited a love of hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
from his father, John Walton, who won a senior county championship title with Tullaroan
Tullaroan GAA
Tullaroan is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the village of Tullaroan in County Kilkenny, Ireland. The club was founded in 1884 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling. Tullaroan is the most successful club in the history of the Kilkenny Senior Hurling...
in 1887. He later followed in his father’s footsteps and became renowned as an excellent centre-forward and full-forward.
As well as hurling Walton also had a very keen interest in greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
. He kept many championship greyhounds, the most famous of the all, Captain Sim, ran in the Waterloo Cup.
Sim Walton died in 1966. Over thirty years after his death he was chosen in the full-forward position on the Tullaroan Hurling Team of the Century. Walton's grand-nephew, Liam Doyle
Liam Doyle
Liam Doyle is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Bodyke and with the Clare senior inter-county team in the 1990s and 2000s. Doyle served as trainer of Sixmilebridge Hurling club in 2007 and 2008.- Reflist :...
, won All-Ireland medals with Clare
Clare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
in 1995 and 1997.
Club
Walton played his club hurlingHurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
with the famous Tullaroan
Tullaroan GAA
Tullaroan is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the village of Tullaroan in County Kilkenny, Ireland. The club was founded in 1884 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling. Tullaroan is the most successful club in the history of the Kilkenny Senior Hurling...
side in his local area in Kilkenny. He enjoyed much success with the club, winning his first senior county championship title in 1901. Walton added more county titles to his collection in 1902, 1904, 1907, 1910, 191 and 1915.
Inter-county
Walton first played senior hurling with KilkennyKilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
in 1903. That year he won his first Leinster
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....
title, however, Kilkenny were later defeated by Cork in the 'Home Final.' In 1904 Walton won his second Leinster medal before later winning his very first All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
medal following a victory over Cork. The following year he won a third provincial title before adding a second All-Ireland medal to his collection. In 1907 Walton captured a fourth Leinster medal as well as a third All-Ireland medal following yet another victory over Cork. He won his fourth All-Ireland medal in 1909 following a comfortable victory over Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
.
In 1911 Kilkenny were named All-Ireland champions without having to play in the final, thus giving Walton his fifth All-Ireland medal. In 1912 Walton was appointed captain of the Kilkenny team. He played a real captain's role, guiding Kilkenny to yet another Leinster title. In the All-Ireland final against Cork he scored the winning goal. That day he collected his sixth All-Ireland medal. In 1913 Kilkenny completed the three-in-a-row with Walton collecting n eighth Leinster medal and a record seventh All-Ireland medal. He remains one of only a handful of Kilkenny players to win seven All-Ireland medals on the field of play. This record was later surpassed by Christy Ring
Christy Ring
Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring , better known as Christy Ring, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Glen Rovers club from 1941 until 1967 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1963. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in...
of Cork and John Doyle
John Doyle (hurler)
John Doyle was an Irish sportsperson and politician, hailed as one of the best defenders in hurling and his county's most iconic player upon his death. He played hurling with his local Holycross-Ballycahill club from the 1940s until the 1970s and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county...
of Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
. In retirement from hurling Walton trained greyhounds and had much success.