Frank Barry's sad passing leaves a void in Blackrock and St Michael's

An inspiration to others is how Blackrock National Hurling Club chairperson Ger Coughlan describes Frank Barry, who sadly died last weekend.

A member of the Rockies squads that won the Cork SHC in 1999, 2001 and 2002, Frank was stepped in Blackrock and St Michael's, providing countless hours during and after his playing career.

Coughlan will remember somebody whose time was never limited in service to the cause.

“I was involved with Frankie all his life, coming up through the under-age,” he says, “from minor, U21, following on to senior and then junior.

“He was active in the club right throughout his whole life. We won the U16 league in 1992 and a minor county championship in 1994,” he says.

“Frankie was on the senior panel then that won the three county titles, in 1999, 2001 and 2002.

“When we won the city junior championship in 2003, he played in goal and I would have been involved with that team, too.

“Outside of all that, he would have always been on hand to give coaching to the younger players in hurling and camogie. He was very receptive to coming down and coaching the young keepers at short notice.

“Basically, he was an easy-going guy and, no matter what had to be done, he did. If he could help you, he would – that’s how simple it was.”

While the Barrys produced fine goalkeepers, in Frank's case that meant that the route to the Blackrock number 1 jersey was blocked for a time by his brother Trevor. It meant that he also sometimes operated out the field and scored a vital goal in the 1994 minor win - the club's first in two decades.

“He came from a family with such a great goalkeeping tradition and history,” Coughlan says.

“Trevor was in pole position because he was a few years hurling but Frankie had hurling to burn so he played corner-forward.

“When we won the minor county, we had a goalie but we were short a corner-forward and Frankie went up and did a trick.

“He had the hurling for that. He wasn’t just filling up the numbers – he was a tasty outfield player. He had buckets of hurling, he was the best of the three brothers between himself, Paddy and Trevor.”

After his playing days came to an end, Frank was only too happy to assist on the coaching front.

“He’s steeped in St Michael’s as well and he was working closely with them at junior and under-age level,” Coughlan says.

“He was a junior selector with us three years ago and he’d always come down and coach the goalies for the camogie teams, particularly coming up to championship time.

“He was just a 24-7 clubman. Whether it was hurling or football, he was there to support you – if he wasn’t on the line with you, he was there on the bank shouting for you!

“Everybody thinks they find problems, but Frankie was always a guy to look for solutions.”

Such a figure will be missed, but Coughlan hopes that his memory can live on in the good work done by others.

“Nobody had a bad word for him,” he says.

“He’d be a good man to get his point across but that was it then, end of story and you’d move on.

“I don’t think he fell out with anyone and that’s a strange thing to say about someone so involved in a hurling or football club and fellas having different ideas. He always say, ‘Look, that’s not a problem, we can sort that out and get on with it.’

“He was just one of those unique guys that had a great personality and a great way of linking in with people – and a deep love of the green and gold, whether it was hurling or football.

“It kept him going and he inspired a lot of people with the way he stayed involved on both sides after finishing his playing career.

“A lot of fellas drift away for a few years and do different bits and pieces and that’s life but, from the day he packed up, he never left.”

Frank Barry is survived by his wife Jill, parents Paddy and Marjorie, brother Trevor and sister Diane, parents-in-law Brendan and Therese O'Flynn. He was pre-deceased by his brother Pat and nephews Shane and Gavin.