Biographical sketch
David was born in 1950 and qualified as a solicitor in 1972. He was in general practice at 109 Ranelagh, Dublin 6 ever since until he retired as a solicitor on 30th November 2019. David provided a comprehensive service in all branches of the civil law for the personal as well as the commercial client. He gave up family law in about 1981 as too stressful and building contract related work in 1997 for health reasons. In 1979 he was appointed a Notary Public and shortly afterwards he was elected to the Governing Council of the Faculty of Notaries Public in Ireland, the national representative body for Notaries in Ireland. In 2009 he was appointed Registrar ( CEO ) of the Faculty, until retiring in November 2020. In 2010 he performed Ireland’s first ever eNotarial act and was for some time to the forefront in the promotion of eNotarial advancement in Ireland. David continues to practise as a Notary and is regarded as having both great expertise in and a wide experience of Notarial practice.
David is married with four point zero children and ten point zero grandchildren. He lives near his former office in Ranelagh from which he and his brother Johnny practised as solicitors and Notaries Public for almost 50 years until May 2021. Each now offers a bespoke Notary Public service from their home office. WFH, before its time.
For many years David played regular tennis in Rathgar Tennis Club, enjoyed cycle touring with the WW Cycling Club, sea kayaking (summer months only these days, if at all), and he would hillwalk regularly save for a bad knee. Currently his abiding passion is rock climbing, at which when younger he was quite competent and has many first ascents of Irish rock routes to his credit (including one E1, on Owey Island in County Donegal), besides at least nine first ascents of virgin Arctic summits in Greenland and in Spitzbergen in the Svalbard group. He is the author of Oileáin, the definitive work on Irish islands www.oileain.org first published by Pesda Press in June 2004. The second edition – “Oileáin a Dó” was launched in Dublin on 7th March 2014 under ISBN 978-1-906095-37-6.
On 10th April 2014 Áras an Uachtaran and Buckingham Palace jointly announced that President Michael D. Higgins had just presented, during a state visit to London, a signed copy of “Oileáin a Dó” to H.R.H. Charles III, King of England, then Prince of Wales, by our very own Uachtarán M.D.H. on behalf of the Irish people.
On 27th June 2014 David was awarded the Diploma in Notarial Law and Practice Dip.Not.L. by the then Dean of the Faculty Jim Sexton in the presence of the then Chief Justice Susan Denham.
2016 had David participating in a sea kayaking expedition to far northwest Greenland (Upernavik Isfjord and beyond to Giesecke Isfjord, for the knowledgeable). The 2016 trip was well motivated and covered 300km in the fortnight. 2017 was mostly about “heritage conservation”. His sporting ambitions for 2018 focussed at first on kitchen gardening, same as 2017 but then, over the winter and in 2019 rock climbing re-entered his life and is now absolutely centre stage. David put up his first new rock route for 29 years 10 months and 16 days (very approximately), Ascal na Lúb, at Annagh Head on the Mullet in furthest Mayo, on 17th July 2021.
The whole Walsh family continues to be focussed on the development and expansion of the current crop of grandchildren, which is now “complete” I am assured. First up comes eldest Thomas Rouse, 26 on 31st January this year. Next in line is Charlotte (born 19th February 2015 BEFORE a certain prestigious family in a neighbouring island made the name popular AND received a free gratis and for nothing copy of “the Book“, making it doubly a good year for them). Then comes Peter for son Daire with wife Michelle Hodnett born Christmas morning 2016 and Esme the second grand daughter for daughter Sarah with husband Robert Kearns born 2nd May 2017 (she is the second best girl in the whole world, and David walks her to school every morning with Charlotte). Orla, his youngest, the runt of the litter, married Ben Okonji (they know each other since school days) on 3rd March 2018 (remember Hurricane Emma, all that snow !). Now they have eldest son Jakub Obi Okonji, born 25th March 2019, handsome as anything, the spit of his grandfather, a daughter Georgia Nwaeze Okonji born on 11th February 2021, prettier than anything. Obi means “king” and Nwaeze means “queen”. Since then has arrived Theo to Sarah and Robert 30th April 2021, sturdy as a rock, a man mountain, as strong and as placid as Tadhgh Furlong. 2021 was certainly the year of the grandchild with yet another at Christmastime for eldest son Justin – his first – with Kate Hawthorn, a beautiful little girl Margaux weighing in at seven pounds five ounces on 14th December, a snapper, wha’? Justin and Kate then followed through on January 10th this year 2023 with wonderful Doireann at seven pounds one ounce. Now, hot off the presses, 10th August 2023 has seen the birth of Jamie Amara Okonji to youngest Orla at seven pounds fifteen ounces (Amara means “grace”). My clear understanding from all my children is that that’s it, double figures achieved, job done, roll on the great grandchildren, just nobody hold their breath.