Archbishop William Joseph Walsh of Dublin was a commanding national figure who helped shape modern Ireland through his powerful advocacy of agrarian reform and home rule, tenacious championing of Catholic educational interests, and intuitive understanding of the dangers of alienating the laity. All are defining features of Irish history but were not rigorously investigated before the publication of the Conor Cruise O’Brien’s seminal 1960s collection, The shaping of modern Ireland. This essay offers a re-appraisal of this monumental archbishop through the lens of modern research