His career included All-Ireland Championship victories as a player and later as a manager with the Kilkenny senior hurling team.

After gaining managerial experience with the Carlow senior hurling team, he guided his own Thomastown club to a Kilkenny Intermediate Championship title in 1983.

Noted for his swashbuckling style, which included blocking, side-stepping his opponents and clearing the sliotar down the field, Walsh is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the game.

After coming to prominence at schoolboy level, he enjoyed a hugely successful juvenile and underage career, winning a total of seven county championship medals in various grades between 1947 and 1954.

The high point of Walsh's club career occurred on 16 December 1962 when he claimed a Kilkenny Junior Championship title after a 7–09 to 4–04 defeat of Coon in the final.

[5] As a Gaelic footballer with Graiguenamanagh, Walsh was at left corner-back when the club faced Glenmore in the final of the 1956 Kilkenny Senior Championship.

He made his debut in that grade on 8 April 1956 when he lined out in goal in a 3–06 to 2–02 defeat of Wexford in the Leinster Junior Championship.

Walsh lined out in a second successive Leinster final on 4 August 1957 and claimed his first winners' medal after the 6–09 to 1–05 defeat of Wexford.

[10] Walsh lined out in a second successive provincial decider when Kilkenny qualified to play Wexford in the 1958 Leinster final.

He was at fault for conceding a goal after bringing down a high ball, however, he ended the game with a third successive winners' medal after the 2–09 to 1–11 victory.

The replay on 4 October 1959 saw Walsh bring off a number of important saves, however, he ended the game on the losing side after the 3–12 to 1–10 defeat.

"[12] Having collected his second All-Ireland winners' medal after the 4–17 to 6–08 victory, he ended the season by being named in the goalkeeping position on the 1963 Gaelic Weekly Team of the Year.

On 4 September 1966, he conceded a hat-trick of goals by Colm Sheehan when Kilkenny suffered a 3–09 to 1–10 defeat by Cork in the All-Ireland final.

[14][15] In spite of this defeat, Walsh ended the season with a second National League winners' medal after an aggregate victory of 10–15 to 2–15 over New York in the final.

Reinstated as first-choice goalkeeper in advance of the 1969 Leinster Championship, Walsh claimed his eighth provincial winners' medal after a 3–09 to 0–16 defeat of Offaly in the final.

[24] Walsh's performances for Kilkenny during the 1957 All-Ireland Championship led to his inclusion as first-choice goalkeeper in the Leinster team for the 1958 Railway Cup.

[25] Walsh began his coaching career at club when he took charge of the Dicksboro minor and senior teams in the late 1970s.

He helped guide the team, which featured his son Michael in goal, to the Leinster Championship title, however, the side suffered defeat by Cork in the All-Ireland final.

After a second All-Ireland home final defeat in three seasons, this time by Antrim, Walsh stepped down as coach immediately after the game.

His first game in charge a week later saw Kilkenny secure a home victory over Dublin in the first round of the 1990-91 National League.

[27] Walsh launched a stinging attack on referee Willie Horgan immediately after the game, describing his performance as "the worst exhibition I have ever witnessed in an All-Ireland final."

Kilkenny remained undefeated in the Leinster Championship for a third successive year, with the team claiming the title after a 2–12 to 0–11 defeat of Wexford.

In spite of this boast, Kilkenny found themselves in Division 2 of the 1993-94 National League, however, they did secure promotion to the top tier after finishing in second place.

Walsh met his wife, Olive Murphy, in the late 1950s and they married at St. John's Church in Kilkenny in September 1960.

Noel Skehan, Donie Nealon, Séamus Power and Pat Fanning all described his death as a loss to the game of hurling.