The Sydney Herald, Wednesday 29 May 1839, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12861438:

The Roman Catholic Bishop held an ordination on Sunday last [26 May] when Messrs. McGrath and Welsh [sic] were ordained to the priesthood.

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Port Phillip Gazette, 5 October 1839, p 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225005444:

At a Meeting held on Sunday, the 29t ultimo, at the temporary Roman Catholic Chapel, Melbourne, the following resolutions were adopted:—
Mr. D. Kelsh in the Chair.

Moved by Mr. R. Hayes, and seconded by Mr J. Carroll.
Resolved—That it is a subject of deep gratification to the Roman Catholics of Melbourne and its vicinity, to find themselves at length in possession of a temporary commodious place of worship, and so economically constructed, that the materials may hereafter be at value, either for sale, or for the purposes of a permanent Church.

Moved by the Rev. P. B. Geoghegan, seconded by the Rev. R. Walsh.
Resolved — That our thanks are gratefully offered to the esteemed individuals of other persuasions, who have so generously aided us in erecting a place to worship God, according to the religion of our conscience; and we pledge ourselves to maintain to the utmost of our power, the liberal christian spirit which at present distinguishes the district of Port Phillip.

Moved by Mr. P. Bodecin, seconded by Mr. J. Craven.
Resolved—That as our two Pastors have so disinterestedly devoted themselves to our spiritual wants, on the government stipend granted to one Clergyman, and as even that inadequate support must be withdrawn next December, unless £300 be previously subscribed in cash, and duly certified ; we hold ourselves bound in the strictest justice and gratitude, to raise that sum by next November, and further to contribute as our means will permit, to their becoming support.

Moved by Mr. W. Cogan, seconded by Mr. E. McCarthy.
Resolved—That all who, in consequence of the high rate of provisions, may not find it convenient to subscribe at present in ready money, will forthwith give their promissory notes for the amount of their subscriptions, payable at one or two months at farthest, and that an advance of cash be procured on the same, to meet in due time the required government qualification.

D. Kelsh,
Chairman. P. B. Geoghegan,
Secretary.

The thanks of the Meeting being expressed to Mr. D. Kelsh, for his appropriate conduct in the Chair, the sum of £106 19s. was subscribed in cash, and promissory notes given to the amount of £22 2s.

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The Roman Catholics, The Courier, Hobart, 19 January 1841, p 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2957254:

We perceive that the Rev. Mr. Ryan has arrived as coadjutor to the Rev. Mr. Geoghegan in charge of the Roman Catholic congregation of Melbourne. Fame speaks favourably of Mr. Ryan as a scholar, a clergyman, and a private individual. All that we wish is, that he may be equally popular as his predecessor the Rev. Mr. Walsh, who has proceeded to Norfolk Island to take charge, in routine, of the Roman Catholics of that place; and that he may imitate the virtues and the amiable manners which have ensured for his colleague the esteem of all classes and sects of the community.

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Shipping Intelligence. Arrivals, Free Press and Commercial Journal, Sydney, 17 Feb 1841, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228246703:

13. Sarah Charlotte, brig, Dannett, from Hobart Town, in ballast, 4th instant. Passengers, Rev. Mr. Walsh [...]

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Norfolk Island, Australasian Chronicle, Sydney, 20 October 1842, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31737591:

From an unknown correspondent at Norfolk Island we have received a copy of a reply from the Rev. Mr. McEncroe, to an address presented to him by his congregation previous to his departure from that island, expressive of their respect for his character as a clergyman; their admiration of his talent and eloquence as a preacher; and their deep sense of that fervent zeal with which he has labored to promote their conversion and reformation, and to extend the practical influence of Christian charity towards one another. On the day of his departure they evinced the feelings of their hearts by running to the boat harbour to witness his embarkation. With tears in their eyes they followed the boat he was in to the edge of the bar, until driven away by the surf, and then gave deafening cheers, after which many returned with evident grief depicted in their countenances. On Sunday, the 25th ult., the answer was read from the altar by his zealous assistant, the Rev. Mr. Walsh, and is as follows [...]

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Shipping Intelligence. Arrival, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 February 1845, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12877267:

February 7. - Governor Phillip, brig, 188 tons, Captain Boyle, from Norfolk Island, the 29th January. Passengers - [...] Rev. Mr. Walsh [...]

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Colonial News, South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, Adelaide, 27 September 1845, p 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article195933161:

The Rev. Mr Watkins, Roman Catholic clergyman, officiating at Geelong, is to be removed to Adelaide, to be succeeded by the Rev. Mr Walsh, of Melbourne, whose place is to be supplied by a French clergyman.—Ibid.

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Port Phillip, Morning Chronicle, Sydney, 5 November 1845, p 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31746694:

St. Francis's Church.—This place of worship was opened by a solemn service at eleven o'clock on Thursday last; the very Rev. Mr. Geoghegan officiating, assisted by the Rev. Mr. Walsh, the Catholic incumbent of Geelong. [...]

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The Roman Catholics, Portland Gazette and Belfast Advertiser, 3 February 1846, p 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article281644497:

The Rev Mr Walsh, a Roman Catholic Clergyman, arrived in Portland on Tuesday last, for the purpose of baptising, marrying, and performing other duties of the church, in which he was engaged until Sunday, when he took his departure for Geelong, via Belfast. We are sorry we had not some early authentic intelligence of the visit, as we would have reported the important event for the information of the Roman Catholic body in the district, especially those in the interior, the greater number of whom, we conceive, would have anxiously availed themselves of the benefits of the Rev. Gentleman's visitation. Previous to the Archbishop and the Rev. Mr. McEncroe and McEvoy coming down in November, 1844, which was, we believe, the only previous occasion on which a clergyman of the body visited us, we received a communication from Melbourne upon the subject, by which we were enabled to give due and authentic notice of the event, to the no small gratification and advantage of many of our readers. We hope the Vicar of the Province, or some other party interested, will afford us an opportunity of giving early public notice of any similar occurrence in future.

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Laying the Foundation Stone of the Catholic Church, Geelong Advertiser and Squatters' Advocate, 22 August 1846, p 1, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94447376:

Wednesday last having been the day appointed for this ceremony, a large assemblage of persons had congregated, many from distant parts of the interior, and a large party from Melbourne. The weather was exceedingly unfavorable, the morning having set in with squalls of rain, and just before the commencement of the ceremony the rain poured down as if from a waterspout. Exactly at the appointed hour, however, the Very Rev. Mr Geoghegan, assisted by the Rev. Mr Walsh, appeared on the ground in their canonicals, and went through the usual religious exercises prescribed for such occasions. The inscription having been deposited in its proper place, and the stone lowered, the Rev. Mr Geoghegan said [...]

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The Roman Catholic Church, Geelong Advertiser and Squatters' Advocate, 30 March 1847, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94446086:

Several changes in the appointments of the various clergymen are immediately to take place. The Rev. Mr Geoghegan, it is said, has been exerting his influence to be allowed once more to return to Melbourne; it may be said of him that—"He often takes leave, yet seems loathe to depart." The Rev. Mr Walsh is to be removed from Geelong, and the Rev. Mr Coffee, of Parammatta, to come here in his stead. This latter announcement is anything but acceptable to the people of Geelong ; and a petition has accordingly been got up, and signed by almost every catholic in the place, against the intended change; not out of disrespect to Mr Coffee, but from attachment to their present pastor. During the short time he has been here, he has been the means of doing much good. At the time of his arrival the church reserve was a mere waste; but he set vigorously about the discharge of his duties, and has done so much in a little time that it is a pity he is not to be allowed to finish what he has so well begun. We should not be surprised, if his removal should be followed by a cessation of the works which have during his stay been in uninterrupted progress.

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The Roman Catholic Church, Port Phillip Gazette and Settler's Journal, 5 April 1847, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223154147:

A very strong feeling has been expressed by the Catholic population of this neighbourhood against the proposed changes in the stations of the clergymen, by which the Rev. Mr Walsh will be removed from Geelong. Whatever may be the concealed object of these changes, it is certain they will be injurious to the interests of Geelong and markedly unjust to the Rev. Mr. Walsh himself. During the short period of his ministry, he has made himself beloved by all his flock, and respected by the people of all persuasions, not on account of his taking part in public and popular movements, but by the quiet and unostentatious, yet earnest discharge of his own particular duties. Under his auspices the buildings on the Church reserve were commenced, and have progressed in a manner not equalled by any other instance, either in Melbourne or Geelong; not a sixpence of debt has been incurred: the sum of £100 is still in hand; and the erection of the Church walls has just entitled him to draw upon the Colonial Treasury. In these circumstances, it is a case of absolute cruelty to remove him from the scene of his successful labors, just as they are approaching fruition. It is publicly stated, but we do not know upon what grounds, that the Rev. Mr Geoghegan has made Mr Walsh's removal one of the conditions upon which he will return to Melbourne. This explanation may, however, arise from the excited feelings of those by whom it has been expressed. We are pretty sure, however, that the Rev. Mr Geoghegan will not be so warmly received as he expects. He has twice taken leave, and each time he has had testimonials presented to him ; but as his successor, the Rev. Mr Therry, is as much a favourite (without obtrusively courting popularity) as ever he was, it is not likely that the third testimonial will fall into the same hands. We should not have indulged in these remarks, had it not been for a paragraph in the Herald of Tuesday last, in which the praises of all the clergymen, present and expected, are recorded in a very fulsome style while the removal of Mr Walsh is passed over in silent indifference.—Geelong Advertiser.

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The Catholic Clergy, Geelong Advertiser and Squatters' Advocate, 6 April 1847, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article94443567:

In noticing the changes in contemplation, with reference to this branch of the ministry, in the Herald of this morning week, we mentioned the name of the Rev. Mr Walshe, the present incumbent of Geelong, in a manner which, though purely accidental, might be deemed to bear the semblance of intention. This we must deny in the most positive terms, as we had no wish whatsoever to publish aught which might be taken to mean anything in the slightest way derogating from his merits as a zealous and exemplary clergyman; in fact, his exertions in erecting the chaste edifice of "St. Mary of the Angels," at Geelong, speaks volumes in his praise. We are glad to find, however, that our omission has been rectified, by a contemporary, the Geelong Advertiser, who gives the Rev. Mr Walshe all due credit, but he might certainly very properly have done so without insinuating against the character, and imputing the motives, of the Very Rev. Mr Geoghegan, (in his absence too)—a gentleman who is so much endeared to all classes in the community.—Herald.

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The Church at Port Phillip, Sydney Chronicle, 7 April 1847, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31751466:

The Catholics of Port Phillip will hail with pleasure the return of the Rev. Mr. Geoghegan to that district, where he has already so long and zealously performed the duties of his sacred calling. [...] The Rev. Mr. Kenny, who had laboured zealously and successfully on the banks of the Hawkesbury, has proceeded to Geelong for the purpose of relieving the Rev. Mr. Walsh. This latter station is, we believe, a promising one, a Church having been nearly completed by the exertions of the faithful during the ministry of their late pastor.

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The Church, Sydney Chronicle, 8 May 1847, p 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31751866:

The Catholics of Parramatta will we are sure be glad to hear that the Rev. Mr. Brennan, of Goulburn, is to be stationed in that town where he may shortly be expected. The zeal and activity of Mr. Brennan is well known to the inhabitants of Parramatta, in which place he resided some years since. Mr. Brennan's place at Goulburn will be supplied by the Rev. Mr. Walsh, late of Geelong. The latter gentleman, accompanied by the Rev. Dean McEncroe, left Sydney for Goulburn on Wednesday last. We congratulate the Ca[t]holics of that locality on the appointment of Mr. Walsh to their important district, and we are sure the rev. gentleman will win for himself the same "golden opinions" at his new station, that he obtained during his residence at Geelong.

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Clerical, The Goulburn Herald and County of Argyle Advertiser, 16 August 1851, p 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101732971:

On Sunday last the congregation at SS. Peter and Paul, the Catholic Church of this town, was much surprised and distressed at the announcement by the Rev. Mr. Walsh, that he was about to change the scene of his spiritual labours. So much beloved is the Rev. gentleman, that there was scarcely a dry eye in the church; and his withdrawal from our district is generally regretted by all classes of the community. On Wednesday morning he left town for Queanbeyan, at which place he will minister to the spiritual requirements of the members of the Catholic Faith. The Rev. Mr. Kavanagh, from Yass, supplies the vacancy caused by the removal of the Rev. Mr. Walsh.

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To the Rev. R. Walsh, C.C., The Goulburn Herald and County of Argyle Advertiser, 23 February 1856, p 4, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118311021:

Queanbeyan, 18th February, 1856.
Dear Sir,—We, the undersigned, having learned that the scene of your pastoral labours is shortly to be removed to a more extended sphere of usefulness, beg before leaving to convey our small tribute of regard for the highly Christian and liberal principles that have invariably influenced your conduct whilst among us. As this expression of regard does not proceed from the flock over which you have control, we, as Protestants, hope, that this slight memento of our esteem will not be the less regarded as a faithful acknowledgment of your unceasing desire, to blend all in the common union of good will and peace, and to promote, as far as lay in your power, every object that you considered would tend to the good of the community in general. That in the scene of your former labours every blessing may attend you, is the heartfelt wish of those who now offer you this small testimonial of their esteem. [List of names follows.]

My Dear Friends and Gentlemen,— I thank you most sincerely for this expression of your kindness; I value this address very much, as it comes from those with whom I have no immediate connection, and who differ from me in certain points of Faith, but this difference should never separate us as Christians, and as useful members of the community in which we live. I have received much kindness from my separated brethren in many parts of this colony, and in no place more than from the kind and good people of Queanbeyan. I have always lived in peace, union, and friendship, with those who differ from me. This testimonial of your kind regard will be a lasting memorial of our union, and friendship. My dear friends, let nothing separate us, and let us all be united in doing good, and in promoting the peace and prosperity of this beautiful country.
I again thank you most sincerely for your kindness, and I pray that Almighty God may grant you every blessing, both spiritual and temporal, to yourselves and families.
I remain, My dear Gentlemen, Your sincere friend, R. Walsh.
To the Gentlemen signing the Address, Queanbeyan.

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Goulburn, Sydney Morning Herald, 23 February 1856, p 5, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28639312:

Last week the congregation of the Rev. J. Kavenagh, hearing of his approaching departure from Goulburn, presented him with a purse containing nearly forty sovereigns. From the period of his residence as a minister amongst them, he has had their respect and esteem, and though his leaving was totally unexpected, the above amount was raised. His brother, the Rev. M. Kavenagh, returns to his former cure at Queanbeyan, and the Rev. R. Walsh will be the Catholic clergyman here, assisted by the Rev. E. Walsh, lately residing at Maneroo.

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The Archdiocese. Changes in the Southern Districts, Freeman's Journal, Sydney, 17 April 1861, p 5, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article115763779:

The Catholic community in this district are about to sustain a severe loss in the removal, for a time at least from amongst them, of two of their oldest and most zealous clergyman. The Very Rev. Dean Walsh, in consequence of the shattered state of his health, is compelled to retire from the active duties of his office, absolute rest having been pronounced indispensable to his recovery. The reverend and amiable dignitary has now laboured in these colonies for the long period of twenty-three years, and when the arduous duties of a priest of the Catholic Church are taken into consideration, there is little cause for surprise that though not very far advanced in life, his constitution has so far given way, as to necessitate retirement and repose. Dean Walsh arrived in Sydney on the 1st of September, 1838, when he remained until May of the following year, attached to the Seminary of St. Mary's. On the 29th of that month he was ordained priest by His Grace the present Archbishop Polding, and shortly afterwards proceeded to Port Phillip, having as his coadjutor in the mission the Right Rev. Dr. Geoghegan, now Bishop of Adelaide, and thus having the honour of being one of the two first Catholic priests appointed to that district. The Port Phillip district at that time was but in its infancy as a colony—Melbourne, now one of the finest cities in the Southern Hemisphere, scarce half as large as Goulburn, and the country occupied by a mere handful of population employed in looking after the flocks and herds of struggling squatters. What changes have taken place within the last twenty-one years! Victoria is now a nation, and outstripping fast in wealth, numbers, energy, and influence, every other settlement in Australia. Dean Walsh, in 1841, was removed from Port Phillip, and sent as Chaplain to Norfolk Island, then a place of horrors, which to most imaginations, realised the terrible truthfulness of Chalmer's expression, "the hell of abandoned outcasts." Here amongst the most depraved and hardened criminals, and for a period of four years, he faithfully and zealously discharged his sacred office ; and it is pleasing to know that even in that penal Pandemonium, his experiences of human nature, where it was only met with in its lowest and vilest phases, were not unfrequently cheered by some glimpses of that "good in man," which is never wholly extinguished. At that time there were not fewer than eighteen hundred prisoners on the island, and among those committed to his ministrations (to use the Dean's own simple phrase when referring to the matter), "there were some good, and some very bad." In the year 1845 the Dean left the Island Prison—now the home of a less guilty population than those who occupied it during his ministry—and was appointed to the mission of Geelong, where, through his exertions, a parsonage was erected, and the walls of a church were raised, and which forms one of the neatest and most complete establishments in connexion with the Church. In May, 1847, the Archbishop removed him to Goulburn, where he had first charge of the districts of Braidwood and Broulee, and afterwards for four years and a-half of the districts of Queanbeyan and Maneroo. In 1856, he was re-appointed to Goulburn, being succeeded in his former charge by Father M. Kavanagh; and in August, 1857, he was elevated to the dignity of Dean. Among the most prominent and valuable services rendered by Dean Walsh to the Church in this district has been the introduction of the Sisters of Mercy, and the measures already taken for the erection of a suitable establishment to enable them to carry out the pious and benevolent purposes of their Sacred Order. Thus has passed the most valuable portion of this venerable clergyman's life ; and there will be few to deny that the leisure necessary for recruiting health, worn out in services extending over so long a period, and of so exhausting a nature, has been fairly earned. [...] — Goulburn Chronicle.

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The Rev. Dean Walsh, The Yass Courier, 9 June 1866, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article263923646:

This Catholic ecclesiastic, so long in charge of the Goulburn district, and who left the colony a few years since for the restoration of his health, is expected to return to New South Wales shortly, having quite recovered from the ailment from which he was suffering.

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Death of the Very Rev. Dean Walsh, Late of Goulburne, N.S.W., Waterford News and Star, Ireland, 24 July 1868, p 3:

It is our painful duty to announce the death of a truly zealous minister of God's Holy Church, and missionary in a distant country, in the person of the Very Rev. Dean Walsh, son to the late Mr John Walsh of Ballyvadden, in this county. The sad event took place on Saturday last, the 18th inst., at the residence of Mr. David Hally, Ballybricken, whose wife was niece to the rev. gentleman, where Dean Walsh had been residing for the past month for the benefit of medical advice. The very rev. and lamented deceased, who was but in the 53rd year of his age, was 25 years on the mission at Goulburne, having left this country shortly after his ordination, for that far-off land, and during that lengthened period, impelled by the never-failing spirit of a Catholic missionary, allowed himself scarcely any cessation from toil, arduous in the extreme, in the service of his Divine Master, frequently having to travel 40 and 50 miles to the distant stations of his mission, but, in the end, finding his constitution breaking down, he was compelled to try the benefit of a visit to his native land, where he arrived some couple of years since. The utmost care and attention, however, availed not, and at length on Saturday, as we have said, the lamented deceased breathed his last in the midst of his sorrowing family. On Monday morning Office and High Mass were offered up in the church of Trinity Without, for the repose of his soul, at which were present:—Rev. Thomas McGrath, C.C., high priest; Rev. W. Shanahan, deacon; Rev. W. Phelan, sub-deacon; Rev. E.J. Browne, master of ceremonies; also present, Revds. Michael McGrath, Annstown; Wm. Burke, Trinity Without; E.P. Walsh, adm. Trinity Within; Robert Power, do.; Robert Foran, St. John's; P. Nolan, adm. do.; P. Kent, P.P., P. Ryan, D.D., P. Power, St. John's College; G. Commins, John Foy, P.P., Dunhill; E. Quinn, C.C., do.; Thos. Casey, P.P., Stradbally; John Dooley, C.C., do.; Roger Power, P.P., Kill; Thomas Hearne, C.C., Ballyduff; Mr. Dunphy C.C., Portlaw; Mr. Sheehy and Mr. Phelan, Killea; Joseph Phelan, Trinity Within; Michael Casey, C.C., Clonea; Mr. Keating and Mr. Casey, O.S.F.; Mr. Deely, O.S.D.; Mr McCarthy, C.C., Tramore, &c. On conclusion of the holy services, the remains of the lamented deceased, attended by an immense cortege, were taken for interment at Ballyristeen, near Kill, where they were deposited in a small mortuary chapel erected upon his paternal land.—R.I.P.

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Death of the Very Rev. Dean Walsh, The Goulburn Herald and Chronicle, 14 October 1868, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101476385:

A friend has forwarded us the following telegram:— "The Very Rev. Dean Walsh died on the 18th July last in the city of Waterford." The Very Rev. Richard Walsh was ordained in Sydney by his Grace Archbishop Polding. He came to this colony when a young man. His first mission was to Geelong. He went from there to the Norfolk Island mission to assist the late Venerable Archdeacon McEncroe. It was about the end of 1847 that he came to Goulburn, and ministered here as a Catholic priest for four or five years. The present cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was finished during this period by his exertions. In 1850 he went to Queanbeyan, where the cause of religion prospered under his guidance for the space of about three years. Father Kavanagh was then stationed in Goulburn, and an exchange was made between the two clergymen, the dean coming back again to the Goulburn mission and the Rev. Father Kavanagh taking that of Queanbeyan. It was in 1860 that the impaired state of Dean Walsh's health compelled him to leave the scene of a long term of usefulness for the land of his birth—Ireland. During the time he has been home his anxiety about the welfare, spiritual and temporal, of the people amongst whom he laboured so long and so well has been often expressed, and it was a wish dear to his heart that when he had gained stronger health he should return and end his days in Australia. While in Goulburn the dean accomplished much good. He established the first Catholic denominational school in this town. Through his instrumentality the community of the Sisters of Mercy took up their abode in our midst. The Goulburn hospital found in him always an active member. The foundation-stone of the present convent was laid shortly before he departed for Europe. He was an energetic and faithful priest, constantly visiting his flock at their houses, arranging differences, consoling the sorrowful, aiding the distressed, and his charity was single-thoughted and sincere. The dean was about forty-nine or fifty years at his death. The land where he drew his first breath has also been the place where his last sigh has been heaved ; and we are sure in his latest thoughts the friends he dwelt amongst in Australia were not forgotten. May he rest in peace.— Southern Argus.