The best place to begin any appraisal of Tommy Walsh’s career is not with the All-Ireland medals, not with the All Stars but on a Sunday afternoon at Walsh Park in the summer of 1997.

The retirement of Tommy Walsh from inter-county hurling with Kilkenny ends one of the most spectacularly successful GAA careers of all time.

Tommy Walsh built his legend in a variety of positions for Kilkenny.

The departure of Tommy Walsh from the inter-county stage means we won’t see that red helmet blaze through a thicket having won a puck-out.