Origins & History of the Walsh Clan
Walsh is the fourth most common surname in Ireland. Unlike Gaelic patronymics starting with “O” or “Mac”, Walsh originated as an ethnic descriptive name, Breathnach, meaning “the Welshman” or “Briton”. It was applied to Cambrian-Norman soldiers who arrived in Ireland with Strongbow during the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1169.
The Walshes quickly integrated into Irish Gaelic society, becoming “more Irish than the Irish themselves.” Major settlements developed in The Walsh Mountains of County Kilkenny and across the rugged coastlines of County Mayo.
In the United States, Mayo Walshes formed the backbone of the industrial working class in Cleveland, Ohio and Scranton, Pennsylvania.