The President of France, Mr Jacques Chirac, has nominated the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Mr Walsh, for the Légion d'Honneur.
A delighted Mr Walsh confirmed last night that he is to receive the honour at a special ceremony in Paris in mid-July.
Mr Chirac made the nomination because of Mr Walsh's work in combating foot-and-mouth disease, his work for European agriculture and his good relationship with France.
Mr Walsh said last night that he had not been aware that the honour was being bestowed on him until he received a letter from Mr Chirac last Monday.
"I am absolutely over the moon about this, because I never sought or indeed expected it. I feel very, very happy about it," he said.
Mr Walsh, who is now the longest-serving Agriculture Minister in the EU, said that he had had a friendly relationship with the French President going back many years.
"I met him first well over 20 years ago when Fianna Fáil and the Gaullists had aligned themselves in the European Parliament," he said.
"He was always very interested in agriculture and prided himself on his knowledge of the subject. He even came down personally to help with the protracted negotiations in Berlin for Agenda 2000."
The Minister said that over the years a special relationship had been built up with French ministers of agriculture in the EU council because Ireland and France shared so many of the same problems.
He said that the citation also referred to his role in controlling foot-and-mouth disease in Europe. In 2001 the disease had been spread to France by Irish calves which had contact while in transit with infected British sheep. Close co-operation between the Irish and French authorities in tracing the animals limited the spread of the disease in France.