Tom Barry, the son of an R.I.C. officer of the same name, was born in Killorglin in July 1897, possibly in Clooncarrig – the designated R.I.C. married quarters. As the family grew in number (in all, eight Barry children were born in Killorglin between 1895-1908) the family relocated to Langford Street, where they lived between 1901-1908. Resigning from the Constabulary, Barry Snr. returned to his native Rosscarbery in West Cork.
During the First World War Tom Barry enlisted in the 14th Battery, Royal Regiment of Artillery. He fought in Mesopotamia (then part of the Ottoman Empire, present day Iraq) and rose to the rank of sergeant. Barry was offered a commission in the Royal Munster Fusiliers but refused it. While outside Kut-el-Amara in 1916, Barry first heard of the Easter Rising.
In 1920 Barry was recruited as training officer in Cork No. 3 (West Cork) Brigade IRA, and played a very active role in the War of Independence – most notably the Kilmichael Ambush on November 20 of that year. He later wrote a very successful memoir Guerilla Days in Ireland on his exploits during 1920-21. Tom Barry died in 1980.