James Barry-Murphy (born 22 August 1954) is an Irish hurling manager and former hurler, Gaelic footballer and association football player. He was the manager of the senior Cork county hurling team from 2011 to 2015, returning a decade after his first tenure as manager. Barry-Murphy is regarded as one of the most iconic players in the history of Gaelic games.
He established himself as a dual player with the St Finbarr's club. A dual four-time All-Ireland medallist with the St Finbarr's senior teams, Barry-Murphy also won a combined total of five Munster medals and ten championship medals.
Barry-Murphy made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Cork minor teams as a dual player. An All-Ireland medallist in both codes, he later won a combined total of three All-Ireland medals with the under-21 teams. Barry-Murphy made his senior football debut during the 1973 championship. He went on to play a key role for Cork in attack and won one All-Ireland medal, four Munster medals and one National Football League medal. Barry-Murphy's eleven-year career with the Cork senior hurlers saw him win five All-Ireland medals, a record-equaling ten Munster medals and two National Hurling League medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions.
As a member of the Munster inter-provincial team in both codes, Barry-Murphy won a combined total of five Railway Cup medals. Throughout his inter-county career he made 57 championship appearances. Barry-Murphy retired from inter-county activity on 2 April 1987.
Following a successful tenure as manager of the Cork minor team, culminating in the winning of the All-Ireland title, Barry-Murphy was appointed manager of the Cork senior team in October 1995. His first tenure saw a return to success, with Cork winning one All-Ireland Championship, two Munster Championships and one National League, before stepping down as manager on 8 November 2000. Barry-Murphy subsequently had unsuccessful tenures as coach with the St Finbarr's and Cloughduv club teams. Over a decade after stepping down as Cork manager, Barry-Murphy was appointed for a second stint as Cork manager on 7 September 2011. Once again his managerial reign saw a return to success, with Cork winning one Munster Championship.
On the 26 August 2015 Barry Murphy was inducted into the GAA Hall of Fame.
Early life
Coming from a family of six – including brothers John, Denis, Barry and sisters Miriam and Frances – Barry-Murphy was born into a family steeped in hurling tradition. His granduncle, Dinny Barry-Murphy, was the most successful of the family. He captained Cork and won four All-Ireland titles in the 1920s and 1930s. His grandfather, Finbarr Barry-Murphy, also played with Cork while his father, John Barry-Murphy, won an All-Ireland title in the junior grade with Cork in 1940.
He was educated at Colaiste an Spiorad Naoimh in Bishopstown, where he had little success at colleges level.
Club career
Barry-Murphy played his club hurling and football with the famous St Finbarr's club on the south-side of Cork city. In a hugely successful career spanning two decades, he won every honour in the game.
Hurling
After a largely unsuccessful underage career with 'the Barr's', Barry-Murphy had joined the club's senior team by 1972. His career got off to an inauspicious start that year when he was sent off in a club game and received a two-month suspension.
In 1974 Barry-Murphy won his first county club championship winners' medal following a 2–17 to 2–14 defeat of arch-rivals Blackrock. He later collected a Munster winners' medal before making a clean sweep by adding an All-Ireland winners' medal to his collection following a 3–8 to 1–6 defeat of the Fenians.
Another clean sweep of hurling titles followed for Barry-Murphy in the 1977–78 club championship season. A 1–17 to 1–5 trouncing of north-side rivals Glen Rovers was followed by a Munster final victory over Sixmilebrisge after a replay. He subsequently added a second All-Ireland winners' medal to his collection. His goal from a rebound in that game was the deciding factor in sealing the victory over Wexford's Rathnure.
After a brief hiatus St Finbarr's were back in the big time again in 1980. Barry-Murphy won a third county club championship winners' medal as Glen Rovers fell in the final. A third Munster title was later annexed before facing Ballyhale Shamrocks in the All-Ireland final. Not even a late goal from Barry-Murphy, however, could seal a victory over the Kilkenny outfit and 'the Barr's' lost by 1–15 to 1–11.