Rebecca Barry: “There’s nothing else like donning the green for your country”

Rebecca Barry is one of Ireland’s best hockey players — she sets her sights on flying the flag on the world stage.

Success never happens by accident, especially in sport. It is the accumulation of hard work, perseverance, discipline, learning, sacrifice and most of all a huge passion and overwhelming love of the game. When all these things are fused together with an innate sporting talent, the athlete in question has all the right ingredients for a potential devastating cocktail and boasts all the tools to reach the pinnacle of the game.

Sitting with international players always provides an interesting conversation. Having the opportunity to pick the brains of one of the most talented athletes in the country and attempting to figure out what makes them stand out from the rest always proves a worthwhile encounter.

Speaking with 24-year-old Irish hockey international Rebecca Barry was no different. From initial conversation you see a focused, hard-working, quietly but assuredly confident individual and you can almost instantly see why she is regarded as one of the country’s top players. It’s clear to see she is a player with immense self-belief in her own ability and when you back it up with her tremendous work ethic- it becomes pretty easy to see why she is so highly rated.

Peering out from a timid, athletic exterior is a steely determination and an immense burning desire to succeed. It’s said to be great at something, you should have put 10,000 hours of practice into it- with this Limerick native, you would imagine she has double or triple the supposed magic number and continues to add to it on a daily basis.

Barry began playing hockey at the age of seven, for the Limerick Hockey Club alongside her cousin and a team managed by her aunt. It’s a sport which has filtered down through the generations of her family with both her mother and grandmother having played at various levels in the past.

Despite being heavily involved with her local vamogie and Gaelic football clubs, Ballybricken-Bohermore and St. Ailbes, it eventually reached a point in her life where she had to make a decision regarding which sports to focus on as number one.

“I decided to focus on hockey when I was fourteen because I realised there was a chance to play representative hockey. It would have been possible to pursue other sports at this time and I had teammates who did that, but I felt that I needed to focus on hockey if I wanted to achieve the ambitions I had.”

Having previously represented both her clubs, as well as representing the Limerick ladies Gaelic football side at underage level, the decision was not one she took lightly but the rewards and opportunities at hockey were too good to pass up.

At the tender age of 18, Barry was awarded a scholarship off the back of her prodigious hockey talent, at the University of Richmond, in Virgina, America. She studied for a degree in Psychology but openly admits it was quite the daunting proposition moving 3,374 miles to an entirely new continent and culture. But it’s also something she attributes to helping her mature during the four year stint.

“It was a huge change but the transition was made as comfortable as possible by the coaches and my teammates who all helped me find my footing. Whether that was bringing me to get bed linen or helping me sort out things like a phone and bank account, I always knew I could ask for help and someone would be there.”

While Americans can be sometimes heavily criticised over certain aspects of their culture, one thing they do better than anyone else is their passion and fanatical obsession for sport, particularly college games.

Something Barry is certainly in agreement with, “There seems to be an endless flow of money pumped into collegiate sport in the States. The facilities were fantastic almost everywhere we went. We never had to be concerned about fundraising or lack of sponsorship. We were supported financially as much as possible so as to enable us to achieve on the pitch.”

Given the situation this week between the FAI and the women’s national side it’s clear that equal treatment is something we must strive for in this country and the American sporting model should be a blueprint for all sporting institutions within this country.

Whilst in the US, Barry shot to fame after scoring what can only be described as a “wonder goal” and was selected with the likes of world superstars Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimović in ESPN’s “play of the week.”

Following the completion of her stint in the US, Barry returned to the Irish shores where she completed a Masters of Science in Sports Management at the Ulster University in Jordanstown. During this period Rebecca represented the Ulster Elks and played a pivotal role in the side securing the Irish Senior Cup last year.

In the past year, she has returned to her native Limerick where she has now set herself a new challenge, becoming a fully qualified chartered accountant.

Given there is no top division club in Limerick, Barry has linked up with a new club, Cork Harlequins, where her performances have seen her winning her first international cap last July when the side took on Chile. Something she states was “a huge honour” and added that “there’s nothing else like donning the green for your country.”

Her arrival on to the international stage has coincided with the Irish side winning the World League Two title in Malaysia back in January. The Irish team defeated the hosts by a convincing 3–0 in the final. Winning this competition now sees them qualify for World League Three, the world’s premier competition.

In terms of achievements, winning her first cap for her country is one of her proudest sporting moments. However, success on a seemingly smaller scale ranks up there for her in terms of achievement.

“It’s a toss-up between winning the Munster Schoolgirls Senior Cup with Laurel Hill Coláiste, when I was 15, and getting my first cap for Ireland. Both very different occasions and for very different teams but equally as satisfying,” stated the former Ireland U-18 captain.

Attempting to balance work with hockey isn’t without its challenges, especially given hockey is not played professional in Ireland and must normally be balanced alongside a full-time job. Starting a new job with the PricewaterhouseCoopers accountancy group and with three years of exams on the horizon as well as balancing both club and international commitments could seem like an unenviable task.

Hockey takes up the bulk of her weekend balancing international training with club games. While during the week club training sees her having to make a three hour round journey to Cork on a weekly basis. All for the love of the game.

“It’s quite a challenge. I have no choice but to schedule each week so as to achieve all the things I want too. I’m fortunate to have a supportive management in work that allow me to pursue athletic goals. That said, I am focused on my work and studies and understand they must take priority.”

So what does the future hold for the youthful talent?

“Athletically — In five years, I want to have played and succeeded in both a World Cup and Olympics, aiming toward a second go at both. Academically — I want to become a fully qualified chartered certified accountant.”

After our brief chat, one wouldn’t wager against Rebecca Barry meeting her objectives with flying colours. She has the heart and the talent to achieve whatever she wants, and is another of Ireland’s true role models in women's sport.