Brian Walsh (23 March 1918 – 9 March 1998) was an Irish judge who served as a Judge of the Supreme Court from 1961 to 1990, a Judge of the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...

from 1980 to 1998 and a Judge of the High Court from 1959 to 1961. Walsh was described as "one of Ireland's greatest judges" and the "outstanding legal reforming mind of his generation" by Prof. John J. Lee.Alan Murdoch,
Obituary: Judge Brian Walsh
" ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

'', London 1998-03-11 (accessed 2011-01-25) Walsh was seen as a reforming judge who sat on such key cases as ''Byrne v. Ireland'' (1972) - unconstitutionality of state immunity in tort; '' McGee v. The Attorney General'' (1974) - right to marital privacy and contraceptives; '' Crotty v An Taoiseach'' (1987) - ratification of EU treaties. He was one of the dissenting minority in the case at the

that ruled in 1981 that the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

had breached the Convention in the matter of

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. North ...

's law criminalising homosexual acts. Outside the bench, Walsh was the president of the Law Reform Commission from 1975 to 1985 and led the Irish delegation to the Anglo-Irish Law Enforcement Commission.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Brian 1918 births Judges of the Supreme Court of Ireland 1998 deaths 20th-century Irish lawyers