'That Bit Of Bitterness': Aidan Walsh Has Frank Answer For Why He Can't Go To Cork Hurling Matches
Aidan Walsh was one of the GAA's last dual stars. The Kanturk man won an All-Ireland with the Cork footballers in 2010 and was a lynchpin of the Cork hurling team during the Jimmy Barry Murphy years and beyond.
However he's revealed he's only attended one Cork senior hurling match since leaving the panel after the 2020 season.
He said the sole Cork hurling match he attended was the Cork-Limerick All-Ireland final of 2021, which Limerick won at a canter.
Walsh, who's 35 years old and would have played with the likes of Patrick Horgan and Seamus Harnedy, told the GAA Social podcast that "bitterness" keeps him from attending Cork hurling matches.
I’ve only gone to one game since, I just, so I just feel like it's, I just feel that it's a bit just bitter towards us.
I go to all the football games because my brother plays and my cousin, so I, I still go to all the football games, but yeah, I just had that bit of bitterness in me for some reason.
I just didn't go to the All-Ireland final last year. , I was down west. I watched it alright, but I watched it on my own.
I just watched it on my own, but it's just like ,I don't know, when you're kind of young and feel fit and you know you're playing, and I was playing, still playing good hurling for the club, like. I was still contributing well.
Especially when you have players that are still playing that you played with. I don't know, I just feel a bit bitter towards it.
I hope to God they win the All-Ireland this year and I really wanted them to win last year and every yea,r I want them to win, but you know just to be going to the game and, like, even that game I went to, it was the All-Ireland final against Limerick, the year after [leaving the panel], and just people coming up to me, 'Jesus, what would you, what happened to you?'
'Why did you get dropped' or 'what's happened?'
I didn't want to be listening to it, you know, so that's, that's the near the worst part about going to Cork games.
I thought this was a remarkably honest answer from Aidan Walsh, a staunch Cork man. He played inter-county hurling and football, all-Star & Won Sam-but dropped at 30. A big hole. He’s been to just one hurling match since…🎙️The GAA Social
🎧Listen here: https://t.co/WioYFUKrgr pic.twitter.com/Di8dyiEEwG
— Thomas Niblock (@thomasniblock) May 16, 2025
In recent months, he's transferred to the An Ghaeltacht club in west Kerry. He also told the podcast that a rule in Kerry prevents him from hurling with his club in Cork, even though there's not a hurling club within a 90 minute drive.
"It's an old rule, which I tried to get around it, but unfortunately couldn't. I love playing hurling. My father is manager of the hurling team in Kanturk. My brother and my cousins all play. There's a fierce connection there."
Walsh said he probably should have transferred two years ago but wanted to help Kanturk rise through the grades before leaving Cork. Once they made it to senior in both codes he made the call to leave.
Aidan Walsh The Hurleymaker"It kind of made it a bit easier but it's still very difficult. It was very hard to leave it. Family is more important now. Just having my son be able to watch me play for however many years I've left is more important than anything."
Walsh had been making hurleys but closed the workshop in Cork upon moving to Kerry and also due to problems caused by ash dieback. He still keeps a fairly important customer on the VIP list.
Walsh continues making hurleys for former Cork teammate Patrick Horgan. “It’s a privilege to be able to make hurleys for Patrick Horgan,” he said, and confirmed he made a hurl for Hoggy as recently as the League final.
"His hurley is different to every other hurley. I don't know how he plays with it. His wrists are just huge, that he's able to use a heavy hurley," he said
SEE ALSO:The unfortunate thing about that is everyone wants a Hoggie hurley then. I'd be like to them, 'I can make you a Hoggie hurley, but I don't think you'll be able to swing it because the bás is so big'. It's a fair lump of hurley. It's unique. I have one of his old ones in the workshop.
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