At our August Third Wednesday BYO lunch join guest speaker Linda McCoy on a walk through one of the first neighborhoods in Tarrytown. William Walsh was born in Limerick, Ireland, and left his homeland around the age of 14 during the Great Potato Famine. He originally owned 100 acres near today's Lake Austin as well as the land that is now Davenport Ranch. Walsh was a quarryman and lime manufacturer and bought the land as an industrial site as well as a place to raise his 10 children with his wife, Dora. He was a very enterprising, hard-working, and generous man. His legacy is woven into the very fabric of the neighborhood and Linda will tell his story from Famine to Fortune.

Linda McCoy grew up in San Antonio but got to Austin as soon as she could - and she vows to never leave! She has two grown sons, Zikolos, who teaches English in Osaka, Japan, and Griffen, who is studying Fashion Design at ACC. Linda loves researching Austin's amazing history and says "going down rabbit holes" is her superpower. She has lived in Austin since 1992 and is an avid, competitive standup paddleboarder. She is the current President of the USA SUP and is involved in several environmental nonprofits in Austin, including Keep Austin Beautiful and Shoal Creek Conservancy. Linda recently assisted Walsh's descendants, Chuck Munson and Chris Walsh, in getting the Walsh Boat Landing in Tarrytown rededicated to honor the elder Walsh. She worked with the Mayor's office to have a proclamation declaring March 23, 2025, as William Walsh Day in Austin, Texas.