Wexford's John Barry Statue - A Gift from the American People to the Irish People in 1956

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Photo Courtesy of National Museum of the U.S. Navy Photograph Collection

In 1956, the heroic-sized statue of Commodore John Barry,"Father of the American Navy,"designed by American sculptor Wheeler Williams of Madison, CT was cast at the T.F. McCann & Sons Foundry in Somerville, MA before being shipped to Wexford, Ireland, where Barry was born in 1745.

The statue was a gift of the people of the United States to the people of Ireland. US Congressman and Speaker of the House John McCormack from South Boston introduced the idea of selecting John Barry as the most suitable Irish-born hero in the American Revolution. He instructed Congressman John Rooney of Brooklyn, NY, to introduce a resolution for $30,000 for the memorial.

Williams was selected by the American Battle Memorials Commission and President Harry S. Truman convened a national John Barry Commission, which included Robert Fitzgerald from Milton, MA. Williams began making sketches in 1954, and after the commission approved one of them, the and made a scale model and invited the Barry Commission to view it. Once approved, he moved to his studio in Connecticut and began making the full armature for the statue.

In November 1955, Williams shipped the full sized plaster to McGann Foundry, a prominent company that had done some major pieces, including the Paul Revere Statue by sculptor Cyrus Dallin in Boston's North End. After casting, the 12 foot bronze Barry statue was moved from McGann Foundry to the Charlestown Navy Yard, where it was placed aboard the U.S.S. Charles S. Sperry, which transported the statue to Ireland on July 28.

Commodore John Barry Statue in Wexford by American sculptor Wheeler Williams

The John Barry Statue was officially unveiled on Sunday, September 17 in Wexford Town in Ireland. The ceremony was attended by Irish leaders Prime Minister John A. Costello, Foreign Minister Liam Cosgrave and former Premier Eamon de Valera. American representatives included Ambassador William Howard Taft III and Comdr. Edward L. Beach, President Eisenhower's naval aide, along with US Congressmen Thomas "Tip" O'Neill of Cambridge and John Rooney of Brooklyn. Wheeler Williams also attended the unveiling.

Two U.S. Presidents visited the Barry Statue:  Dwight D. Eisenhower in August 1962 and John F. Kennedy in June 1963. 

A small scale version of the John Barry statue is on display in the American Revolution section at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy in Washington, DC.

Read more about John Barry at Irish Boston.

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