his name is of Welsh-Norman origin and came from the name of the estate in Glamorgan in South Wales that belonged to Nesta (known as the Helen of Wales because of her many extramarital liaisons) and her husband, Gerald de Barri. Their son, Philip de Barri, came to Ireland with the Anglo-Norman invasion in 1170, and in 1179 he was granted extensive tracts of land in Munster. From that day to this, the name Barry has been principally associated with Co Cork. The Barrys originally settled around Buttevant in north Co Cork, named after the family motto, boutez en avant, meaning strike forward.

A Barry connection can also be seen in the delightful town of Bunclody in Co Wexford. The town was bought by the Barry-Maxwell family in 1719 and, until 1950, was called Newtownbarry; then the name was changed to Bunclody, which in Irish means the mouth of the River Clody.