Con Walsh, Carriganima was born in April 1881. He was selected to represent Canada in the hammer event at the 1908 London Olympic games where he won a bronze medal with a throw of 159ft 11 ins.

At Macroom sports on July 31st 1900 he tested his first success in the athletics arena. It was the first of more than six hundred victories in his career. In 1903 Walsh was first emerging as a formidable weight thrower. In the same year he was captain of Clondrohid football team and was also a member of the Cork team in the Championship against Kerry. In the All-Ireland athletic championship 27/7/1906 Walsh won five national titles. He set a record in the football place kick of 224ft 4 ins which still stands today.

Shortly afterwards Walsh emigrated to the United States. In May 1908 at Toronto he threw the 56lb for height 15ft 91ins setting a new record. On September 24th 1910 at Travers Island N.Y. Walsh set a new World record in the 56lb for height with a throw of 16ft 6ins. Walsh's greatest victory came in the American championships of 1911 in Pittsburgh where he threw the hammer 17ft 61ins. It was a world record. Later in the year he set a new world record in the 56lb for distance with a throw of 27ft 4ins. In the same year having reached the peak of his career, Con Walsh retired.

His great rival Matt McGrath, Olympic hammer champion in 1912 stated, "Had Con Walsh competed in the Olympic games he would easily have won the gold medal". (From Clondrohid GAA Club)

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