He was formerly a member of
Cork County Council for the
Mallow local electoral area. He was elected as a Fine Gael TD for the Cork East constituency at the
2011 general election on his first attempt. In May 2013, he wrote to Cardinal
Seán Brady and the Papal nuncio
Charles John Brown asking whether he would be excommunicated if he voted for the
Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill 2013. Two months later, in July, Barry was seen on an
Oireachtas television broadcast pulling his Fine Gael colleague Deputy
Áine Collins onto his lap during a parliamentary debate. Barry later apologised publicly for his behaviour, saying he had been drinking earlier at the Dáil bar (a bar in the Irish parliament), and the Fine Gael party and his wife condemned his behaviour. He lost his seat at the
2016 general election. ==References==