Tadgh (Timothy) Barry was the last man to be shot during the War of Independence. He started work in the Cork District Lunatic Asylum in 1899. From nearby Blarney Street, he attended the North Mon before entering the service. He was quickly promoted to Second Class Attendant and was an active trade unionist with the Asylum Worker’s Union. It was during this time that he learned the lessons that made him one of Cork’s forgotten heroes. He remained as an attendant until 1903 when he left to become a journalist.
A GAA enthusiast- he wrote the first book about hurling, a Trade Unionist, a founder of Sinn Fein in Cork, a City Councillor, a nationalist, a friend of McSweeney and McCurtain, a soldier, Tadgh Barry was one busy man. Interned in 1921 at Ballykinlar camp for his republican activity, Barry was shot and killed by a sentry who claimed (wrongly) that he was trying to escape. His death took place just days before the truce which gave him the dubious distinction of being the last person killed by the British military during the War of Independence.
His funeral was one of the biggest seen in Cork. He is laid to rest in the Republican Plot at St. Finbar’s Cemetery.