Our HRB colleague Dr Dermot Walsh died recently. Following more than 30 years’ service to the Health Research Board (and its predecessor, the Medico-Social Research Board, which he joined in 1969) as head of mental health research, Dr Walsh continued to work as principal investigator in the HRB’s Mental Health Information Systems Unit until 2010. Dr Walsh had a highly distinguished and influential career as a clinician, researcher and policy adviser on mental health matters. He helped to establish the National Psychiatric In-Patient Reporting System (NPIRS) and continued to co-edit its annual report until he left the HRB. The NPIRS is an important source of data on drug and alcohol treatment and Dr Walsh had a keen interest in this topic, publishing several academic papers on the topic of alcohol dependence. He will be remembered with great fondness by those who worked with him in the HRB, in particular his colleagues in mental health.