Jack Barry steps away from Kerry and Na Gaeil for a year

The Na Gaeil midfield pairing of Barry and Diarmuid O’Connor has been Kerry’s go to midfield combo under both Peter Keane and Jack O’Connor and have been ever present with Na Gaeil since 2017

Wed, 01 Nov, 2023 - 20:13

Mortimer Murphy

The euphoria in the Na Gaeil camp after they secured their senior status for a third year with a thrilling extra time victory over Kerins O’Rahillys was quelled somewhat with the news that Kerry midfielder Jack Barry was taking a year out to travel and will not be available for club or county in 2024, according to sources close to both.

The Na Gaeil duo of Barry and Diarmuid O’Connor has been Kerry’s go-to midfield combo under both Peter Keane and Jack O’Connor and have been ever present with Na Gaeil since 2017.

Twenty nine this coming December, Barry has played minor (2012), U-21 (2015) and senior since 2017 and his battles with Dublin star Brian Fenton have been a standout feature of recent Kerry/Dublin clashes. Barry made his senior debut with Kerry against Donegal in 2017 and his championship debut against Clare in the same year.

The midfielder went on to make 78 appearances for Kerry (31 championship, 42 league) and played in both the 2019 All-Ireland Finals. He won his first Senior All-Ireland medal in 2022 after beating Galway in the final.

Jack was a central figure in Na Gaeil’s 2019 Kerry and Munster Junior Premier wins and their All-Ireland win in 2020. He was also crucial in the Tralee sides Intermediate Kerry and Munster success in 2021, though Na Gaeil lost to Steelstown Brian Ógs of Derry in the All-Ireland semi-final. With no apparent readymade replacement right now, Barry will be a huge loss to Kerry in the middle of the park.

Kerry boss Jack O’Connor will welcome the return of former captain Joe O’Connor who played a local final with Austin Stacks after a year out with a cruciate. The Kerry boss will certainly be keeping an eye on players like Mark Ryan (Rathmore), Sean O’Brien (Beaufort) and Gavin Horan (Milltown/Castlemaine) to fill the void left by Barry’s departure. Another Na Gaeil player Damien Burke, in light of outstanding club form, has been invited onto the Kerry Senior training panel that will soon jet out to New York for a five day break.