Nicholas S. Walsh

Biography

Sir Nicholas Walsh (1542–1615) was an Irish judge, politician and landowner of the late Tudor and early Stuart era. He was Speaker of the Irish House of Commons in the Parliament of 1585–86 and a close ally of the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir John Perrot. Perrot's downfall did some short-term damage to Walsh's career, but he soon regained his influence, as he was noted for his loyalty to the English Crown, and enjoyed the Queen's personal regard. He was appointed Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas in 1597. He also sat on the Privy Council of Ireland, on which he held an office which has been compared to that of a Minister without portfolio. His loyalty to the Crown led to his being attacked and narrowly escaping death during a serious riot in his home town of Waterford in 1603. Remarkably by modern standards, he was elected an MP while also serving as a High Court judge. He acquired a great fortune and was called "the richest commoner in Munster". He took some interest in traditional Gaelic culture: the well-known Irish poem, Labhrann ar Iongaibh Éireann, by Tuileagna Ó Maoil Chonaire, was addressed to him.

Bio from Wikipedia