Tony Walsh (born 1954)
is a former
Irish Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
priest who was convicted of
child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...
.
In 2010, Walsh was convicted and had a 16-year sentence imposed on him "for the rape and abuse of three schoolboys."
Career
In the late 1970s, Walsh became part of
Father Michael Cleary's All Priests Show as an
Elvis impersonator
An Elvis impersonator is an entertainer who impersonates or copies the look and sound of American musician and rock singer Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators, commonly known as Elvis tribute artists (ETAs), work all over the wor ...
.
He was dropped from the show in the 1980s following rumours of child abuse, which were not reported to the
Gardaí.
He was known as a "singing" priest.
Convictions
In December 2010 he was sentenced to 123 years in prison for rape and sexual abuse committed against three schoolboys.
The sentences were to be served concurrently, netting to a maximum of 16 years.
[ At the time it was the most severe sentence imposed on a clerical child sex abuser in Ireland.][ All of the 14 charges which Walsh was convicted of involved acts of child sex abuse which occurred from the mid-1970s to mid 1980s.]Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
Diarmuid Martin
Diarmuid Martin (born 8 April 1945) is an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church who was Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland from 2004 to 2020. From 1976 to 2003 he held a variety of positions in the Roman Curia and in the diplomatic ser ...
apologised to Walsh's victims and admitted that the church had failed them.[
]
Murphy Report
Chapter 19 of the Murphy Report
The Murphy Report is the brief name of the report of a Commission of investigation conducted by the Irish government into the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin. It was released in 2009 by Judge Yvonne Murphy, only a fe ...
was released by a High Court ruling on 15 December 2010 following the trial. On 17 December 2010 the ''Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' published the following quote from the report:
"Fr Tony Walsh is probably the most notorious child sexual abuser to have come to the attention of the Commission... His pattern of behaviour is such that it is likely that he has abused hundreds of children." – Introduction to Chapter 19 of the Murphy Report.
Current status
Due for release in 2021 he had his sentence extended by a further two years in July of that year.
See also
Timeline of church responses, 1978–1997
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Tony
1954 births
Living people
Date of birth missing (living people)
Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in Ireland
Members of the clergy convicted of rape
Catholic priests convicted of child sexual abuse
20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
Irish people convicted of child sexual abuse
Irish prisoners and detainees
20th-century Irish LGBTQ people
21st-century Irish LGBTQ people
LGBTQ Roman Catholics
21st-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
Clergy removed from office
Members of the clergy convicted of crimes
Laicized Roman Catholic priests
Prisoners and detainees of the Republic of Ireland