Peter Barry (10 August 1928 – 26 August 2016) was an Irish

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

politician who served as

Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the deputy head of the government of Ireland and thus holder of its second-most senior office. The Tánaiste is appointed by the President of Ireland on the advice of the Taoiseach. The current office holder is former Taoi ...

from January 1987 to March 1987, Deputy Leader of Fine Gael from 1977 to 1987 and 1991 to 1993,

Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...

from 1982 to 1987, Minister for the Environment from 1982 to 1981, Minister for Education from 1976 to 1977, Minister for Transport and Power from 1973 to 1976 and

Lord Mayor of Cork The Lord Mayor of Cork ( ga, Ard-Mhéara Chathair Chorcaí) is the honorific title of the Chairperson ( ga, Cathaoirleach) of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork (city), Cork in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. ...

from 1970 to 1971. He served as a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...

(TD) from 1969 to 1997.

Early life and education

Barry was born in Blackrock, Cork, in 1928. He was the son of Anthony Barry, a

TD and well-known businessman. He was educated at Christian Brothers College, Cork and then became the major shareholder in the family company,

Barry's Tea Barry's Tea is an Irish tea company founded in 1901 by James J. Barry in Cork. Until the 1960s, tea was sold from a shop in Prince's Street, but thereafter the company expanded its wholesaling and distribution operations. There is a common debate ...

Political career

He was first elected to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

as a Fine Gael TD for the Cork City South-East constituency at the 1969 general election. He would go on to win a Dáil seat at eight successive further general elections, changing constituency to

Cork City Cork ( , from , meaning 'marsh') is the second largest city in Ireland and third largest city by population on the island of Ireland. It is located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster. Following an extension to the city' ...

in 1977 and Cork South-Central in 1981. When Fine Gael came to power following the 1973 general election, he was appointed Minister for Transport and Power. In 1976, he became Minister for Education. In 1979, after Garret FitzGerald had become leader of Fine Gael, Barry was elected deputy leader. From June 1981 to March 1982, he served as Minister for the Environment. From December 1982 to 1987, he was

. In this capacity he was heavily involved in the negotiations which resulted in the 1985

Anglo-Irish Agreement The Anglo-Irish Agreement was a 1985 treaty between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The treaty gave the Irish government an advisory role in Northern Irela ...

. He also became the first joint chairman of the Anglo-Irish Inter-Governmental Conference, established under the Agreement by the Irish and British governments. Following the Labour Party's withdrawal from the coalition government in 1987, Barry became

, for a brief period. He was the first member of Fine Gael to hold the office of Tánaiste. When FitzGerald resigned as Fine Gael leader after the 1987 general election, Barry was one of three candidates (along with Alan Dukes and

John Bruton John Gerard Bruton (born 18 May 1947) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 1994 to 1997, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States from 2004 to 2009, Leader of Fine Gael from 1990 to 2001, Leader of ...

) who contested the party leadership. Dukes was the eventual victor. He retired at the 1997 general election, at which his seat was held for Fine Gael by his daughter

Deirdre Clune Deirdre Clune (; born 1 June 1959) is an Irish politician who is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the South constituency. She is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party. She previously served as a Se ...

. She later served as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

representing the

Cultural and Educational Panel The Cultural and Educational Panel () is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Cultural and Educational Panel elects five ...

, but resigned in 2014, on being elected as a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

for Ireland South.

1986 Northern Ireland by-elections

In 1986, the fifteen Unionist members of the House of Commons in Westminster resigned in protest at the

, causing by-elections. To ensure contests in each constituency, Wesley Robert Williamson changed his name by deed poll to Peter Barry, deliberately taking the name of the Irish Minister held responsible for the negotiations, and stood in the four constituencies, North Antrim, South Antrim, East Londonderry and Strangford, under the label "For the Anglo-Irish Agreement". Despite not campaigning, he won over 6,000 votes.

Personal life

His sister, Terry Kelly, served as

Mayor of Limerick The office of Mayor of the City and County of Limerick is currently the title used by the chairperson of Limerick City and County Council. Prior to the establishment of the council, the Mayor of Limerick was the chairperson of Limerick City Counc ...

from 1983 to 1984.

References

Early life and education

Political career

1986 Northern Ireland by-elections

Personal life

See also

References