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Commodore John Barry, Naval Hero In the American Revolution, Dies on September 13, 1803

American naval hero of the Revolutionary War, Commodore John Barry died on September 13, 1803.  He is buried at Old Saint Mary's Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA. 

Considered one of the true military heroes of the American Revolution,  Barry was born in Tacumshane, County Wexford on March 25, 1745.  At age 15, he emigrated to Philadelphia in 1760, and joined the American forces at the outbreak of the war.  Barry's ship, the Lexington, was the first to capture a British vessel under the American flag. During much of the war, Barry commanded ships out of Boston Harbor, including the Delaware and the Alliance. 

After the war, President George Washington assigned Barry to help create the United States Navy.  Barry settled in Philadelphia and died there at age 59. He is buried at St. Mary's Churchyard on S. Fourth Street.

John Barry Plaque on Boston Common

Though Boston's Irish-American, naval veterans and local historians have long honored Barry for his distinct role during the Revolutionary War, it wasn't until 1949 that  Boston Mayor James Michael Curley, in his final term in office, vowed to commemorate Barry with a public space. 

Speaking at the Charitable Irish Society annual dinner on March 17, Curley promise he would build a memorial to Barry in 60 days, stating that Barry had been ignored for too long.  The project got underway immediately, and the bronze memorial was actually unveiled seven months later, on October 16, 1949 on Boston Common. 

The Barry memorial has had some interesting downturns.  On April 5, 1975, someone - possibly local college students - stole the bronze plaque as a prank, and a stone version of the plaque was put in its place. Contrition set in a few years later and the thieves anonymously returned the plaque to the Massachusetts Ancient Order of Hibernians, who returned it to the city. The original bronze memorial was put in storage at the L Street Bathhouse in South Boston, then on Saturday, September 12, 1981, it was transferred from the Boston Arts Commission to the National Parks Service for permanent display at the Charlestown Navy Yard, where it remains today.

Visitors can see the Commodore John Barry Memorial on Boston Common, located along Tremont Street between Lafayette Mall and the Visitor Information Center. The plaque is part of Boston's Irish Heritage Trail, a sequence of public landmarks that tell the illustrious story of the Irish in Boston from the 1700s to the present time.

President Kennedy honors John Barry in Wexford, Ireland

President John F. Kennedy was a great admirer of Commodore Barry. He owne John Barry's sword and displayed it in office at the White House. In addition to sharing a love of the sea and sailing, both men traced their lineage to County Wexford. When he visited Ireland in June 1963, President Kennedy placed a wreath at the John Barry Memorial in Wexford.


Learn more about Irish and Scots-Irish heroes from New England who played a key role during the American Revolution.


And learn about a new project to recognize the Irish and Scots-Irish in the American Revolution, from Maine to Florida.

To learn more about Boston Irish history, visit IrishHeritageTrail.com.

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