The Minister for Agriculture and Food said yesterday he had never looked for the job as Ireland's new EU Commissioner and had it been offered to him it would have created family difficulties for him.
Following a conference in Portlaoise yesterday Mr Walsh said;"I never looked for this job and I never spoke to the Taoiseach or he to me about it, it never came up."
He said whenever he was asked about the job he had always said he was happy with what he was doing but on one occasion he had said he would have to seriously consider the position if it was offered.
"However, had it been offered to me I would have had serious difficulties relating to my family. I have been in public life since 1974 and now I work in the Dáil 200 miles away from my home where I have a wife and five children," he said.
"I have not got to know my own children and in reality, ours was a one-parent family. Moving to Brussels would have created even more serious difficulties," he said.
Mr Walsh said he believed that the appointment of Mr Mc Creevy to the job was "Europe's gain and Ireland's loss". He listed Mr McCreevy's achievements relating to the economy and to the reduction of unemployment over the years.
He said he and Mr McCreevy were personal friends and he wished him well in his new job.
Asked if he felt that the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, should seek the Agriculture and Rural Development portfolio in Brussels for Mr McCreevy, Mr Walsh said he should because it was without doubt a serious economic portfolio which accounted for 45-46 per cent of the EU spend.
He criticised those who appeared to want to downgrade agriculture and said it still represented 10 per cent of Irish GNP and there were 140,000 farmers who were making a serious contribution to the Irish economy.
He said to dismiss Irish agriculture as not being an important industry, was unfair.
Asked to comment on speculation that he might lose his Cabinet seat in the autumn reshuffle, Mr Walsh said he did not want to say anything about that and it was a matter for the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.
He did say, however, that he was happy with the job he had done in agriculture especially in relation to the CAP reform out of which Ireland had emerged very well.
"A lot has been done but there is still a lot to do," said the Minister.