Paddy Barry (Sarsfield's)
Encyclopedia
Paddy Barry was an Irish
sportsperson. He played hurling
with his local club Sarsfield's and with the Cork senior inter-county team from 1947 until 1964. Barry is regarded as one of Cork’s greatest-ever hurlers.
Barry’s status as one of Cork's all-time greats is self-evident. In a senior inter-county career that lasted across three decades he won three All-Ireland
titles, four Munster
titles, three National Hurling League
titles and four Railway Cup titles with Munster
. Barry was later honoured in 2000 when he was named, by popular opinion, in the right corner-forward position on the Cork Hurling Team of the Century.
, County Cork
in 1928. He was born into a strong hurling
family and his father, Jim Barry, was a founder-member of Carrigtwohill GAA
club. Barry was educated locally and later attended University College Cork. Here he first came to prominence on the hurling field and he helped the college to win the Fitzgibbon Cup
title in 1947.
with the club 1951. It was the Sar’s first senior triumph. Barry won a second county medal with Sarsfield’s in 1957. As a result of both victories he was rewarded with the captaincy of the Cork senior hurling team on each of the following years.
. Cork reached the final of hurling’s secondary competition on that occasion where the team defeated Tipperary
on a score line of 3-3 to 1-2. It was Barry’s first major title. For the next three years, however, Tipp beat Cork in the provincial championship and went on to take the All-Ireland
title on each occasion. It was 1952 before Barry became a regular on the Cork team for the championship. In spite of it being his first year as a full member of the team he was personally honoured by being appointed captain. For the third year in-a-row Tipp faced Cork in the Munster final, however, on this occasion victory went to ‘the Rebels’. It was Barry’s first provincial medal. Dublin
provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final, however 'the Dubs' were completely outclassed by Cork on that occasion and Barry, the captain, picked up his first All-Ireland
medal.
In 1953 Barry handed the captaincy over to the legendary Christy Ring
. The year began well with the Sarsfield's man collecting a second National League title and a second consecutive Munster medal. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Galway
take on Cork, however, 'the Rebels' were victorious and Barty added a second All-Ireland medal to his collection. The game, however, was clouded in controversy due to the injury to the Galway captain, Mick Burke
. After the match at the Gresham Hotel
in Dublin a fight broke out when another Galway player struck Christy Ring. The following morning another fight broke out when another member of the Galway panel attempted to hit Ring. The fights, however, ended just as quickly as they had started. In 1954 Barry won his third Munster medal. In his third full year on the team he line dout in his third All-Ireland championship decider, with Wexford
providing the opposition. A record attendance of nearly 85,000 people packed into Croke Park
to witness the Munster champions defeating the Leinster champions. Barry collected his third consecutive All-Ireland medal that day.
Cork lost their provincial crown in 1955, but 'the Rebels' were back in 1956 and faced Limerick
in the Munster final. Limerick looked to be cruising to victory, however the last ten minutes of the game saw Christy Ring display his exceptional class by scoring three goals and a point to capture a fourth Munster title for Cork in four years. Wexford were Cork’s opponents in the All-Ireland final once again. The game has gone down in history as one of the all-time classic games and, once again, Barry was a fixture in the full-forward line for Cork. The game turned on one important incident as the Wexford goalkeeper, Art Foley
, made a miraculous save from a Christy Ring shot and cleared the sliothar up the field to set up another attack. Wexford went on to win the game on a score line of 2-14 to 2-8.
Barry captained the Cork side once again for 1958, however, the team had little success. Cork’s hurling fortunes over the next few years took a severe downturn as Tipperary emerged as kingpins of the Munster Championship. Although he would play in several more Munster finals Barry never ended up on the winning side. He retired from inter-county hurling in 1961, however, he was recalled for the 1964 Munster final against Tipp, which Cork lost by a huge margin.
in 1953, 1957, 1958 and 1960.
are still recalled with pride. In 2000 he was named in the left corner-forwrad position on both the Munster and Cork Hurling Teams of the Millennium.
Paddy Barry died on 18 December 2000.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
sportsperson. He played hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
with his local club Sarsfield's and with the Cork senior inter-county team from 1947 until 1964. Barry is regarded as one of Cork’s greatest-ever hurlers.
Barry’s status as one of Cork's all-time greats is self-evident. In a senior inter-county career that lasted across three decades he won three All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
titles, four Munster
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....
titles, three National Hurling League
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
titles and four Railway Cup titles with Munster
Munster GAA
The Munster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Munster.-Constituent counties:*Cork*Clare*Kerry*Limerick*Tipperary*Waterford-Honours:...
. Barry was later honoured in 2000 when he was named, by popular opinion, in the right corner-forward position on the Cork Hurling Team of the Century.
Early life
Pat Barry was born in GlanmireGlanmire
Glanmire literally meaning ‘The valley of the small fish; The valley of the ploughed land:' The Still Vale: The Valley of the Young Fish) is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of 15,498....
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
in 1928. He was born into a strong hurling
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
family and his father, Jim Barry, was a founder-member of Carrigtwohill GAA
Carrigtwohill GAA
Carrigtwohill GAA is a Gaelic Football and hurling club based in the parish of Carrigtwohill in Cork, Ireland. The club participates in Cork GAA competitions and in Imokilly board competitions. In 2011 the Senior hurling team won a first county title in 93 years...
club. Barry was educated locally and later attended University College Cork. Here he first came to prominence on the hurling field and he helped the college to win the Fitzgibbon Cup
Fitzgibbon Cup
The Fitzgibbon Cup the championship for top division of university hurling in Ireland. It is administrated by the Higher Education committee which is part of the Gaelic Athletic Association...
title in 1947.
Club
Barry played his club hurling with his local Sarsfield's GAA club and he enjoyed much success. He won a senior county titleCork Senior Hurling Championship
The Evening Echo Cork County Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland....
with the club 1951. It was the Sar’s first senior triumph. Barry won a second county medal with Sarsfield’s in 1957. As a result of both victories he was rewarded with the captaincy of the Cork senior hurling team on each of the following years.
Inter-county
Barry first came to prominence on the inter-county scene with Cork in the 1947-48 National Hurling LeagueNational Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
. Cork reached the final of hurling’s secondary competition on that occasion where the team defeated Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
on a score line of 3-3 to 1-2. It was Barry’s first major title. For the next three years, however, Tipp beat Cork in the provincial championship and went on to take the All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
title on each occasion. It was 1952 before Barry became a regular on the Cork team for the championship. In spite of it being his first year as a full member of the team he was personally honoured by being appointed captain. For the third year in-a-row Tipp faced Cork in the Munster final, however, on this occasion victory went to ‘the Rebels’. It was Barry’s first provincial medal. Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final, however 'the Dubs' were completely outclassed by Cork on that occasion and Barry, the captain, picked up his first All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
medal.
In 1953 Barry handed the captaincy over to the legendary Christy Ring
Christy Ring
Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring , better known as Christy Ring, was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Glen Rovers club from 1941 until 1967 and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1963. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in...
. The year began well with the Sarsfield's man collecting a second National League title and a second consecutive Munster medal. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
take on Cork, however, 'the Rebels' were victorious and Barty added a second All-Ireland medal to his collection. The game, however, was clouded in controversy due to the injury to the Galway captain, Mick Burke
Mick Burke
Michael "Mick" Burke is an English former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. He represented both England and Great Britain whilst playing club football for Widnes....
. After the match at the Gresham Hotel
Gresham Hotel
The Gresham Hotel is a hotel in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Located on O'Connell Street, the hotel is a Dublin institution. This landmark building has recently been refurbished.-History:...
in Dublin a fight broke out when another Galway player struck Christy Ring. The following morning another fight broke out when another member of the Galway panel attempted to hit Ring. The fights, however, ended just as quickly as they had started. In 1954 Barry won his third Munster medal. In his third full year on the team he line dout in his third All-Ireland championship decider, with Wexford
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
providing the opposition. A record attendance of nearly 85,000 people packed into Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
to witness the Munster champions defeating the Leinster champions. Barry collected his third consecutive All-Ireland medal that day.
Cork lost their provincial crown in 1955, but 'the Rebels' were back in 1956 and faced Limerick
Limerick GAA
The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...
in the Munster final. Limerick looked to be cruising to victory, however the last ten minutes of the game saw Christy Ring display his exceptional class by scoring three goals and a point to capture a fourth Munster title for Cork in four years. Wexford were Cork’s opponents in the All-Ireland final once again. The game has gone down in history as one of the all-time classic games and, once again, Barry was a fixture in the full-forward line for Cork. The game turned on one important incident as the Wexford goalkeeper, Art Foley
Art Foley
Michael Arthur Foley , better known as Art Foley, is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club St. Aidan's of Enniscorthy and with the Wexford senior inter-county team from 1946 until 1956.-Club:...
, made a miraculous save from a Christy Ring shot and cleared the sliothar up the field to set up another attack. Wexford went on to win the game on a score line of 2-14 to 2-8.
Barry captained the Cork side once again for 1958, however, the team had little success. Cork’s hurling fortunes over the next few years took a severe downturn as Tipperary emerged as kingpins of the Munster Championship. Although he would play in several more Munster finals Barry never ended up on the winning side. He retired from inter-county hurling in 1961, however, he was recalled for the 1964 Munster final against Tipp, which Cork lost by a huge margin.
Provincial
Barry’s other honours include Railway Cup medals with MunsterMunster GAA
The Munster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Munster.-Constituent counties:*Cork*Clare*Kerry*Limerick*Tipperary*Waterford-Honours:...
in 1953, 1957, 1958 and 1960.
Retirement
In retirement from playing Barry came to be regarded as one of the greatest forwards of his era and is particularly revered in east Cork where his legendary battles of fifty years ago with Tipperary's great corner back, John DoyleJohn Doyle (hurler)
John Doyle was an Irish sportsperson and politician, hailed as one of the best defenders in hurling and his county's most iconic player upon his death. He played hurling with his local Holycross-Ballycahill club from the 1940s until the 1970s and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county...
are still recalled with pride. In 2000 he was named in the left corner-forwrad position on both the Munster and Cork Hurling Teams of the Millennium.
Paddy Barry died on 18 December 2000.