Age: 22
Hometown: Newtownards, Down
Club: Ards Swimming Club
Disability: Right above knee amputation
Sport Class: S9, SB8, SM9
Barry made his Team Ireland debut at the 2016 European Championships at just 14 years old, coming within two seconds of qualifying for the Rio Paralympics in the 400m freestyle. In 2018, at the age of 16, he reached the S9 finals in both the 100m freestyle and backstroke at the Commonwealth Games. That same year, he competed on home soil at the European Championships in Dublin, making two finals—finishing fifth in the 100m butterfly and sixth in the 400m freestyle. At the 2019 World Championships, he narrowly missed out on the finals in both events, further establishing himself as a rising talent in para swimming.
At the Tokyo Paralympics, Barry’s standout performance was a seventh-place finish in the 100m backstroke S9. In April 2021, at the Irish Trials, he achieved a major milestone by breaking the one-minute mark in the 100m freestyle for the first time, clocking an impressive 59.81 seconds.
He made history at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, winning bronze in the S9 100m backstroke and becoming the first Northern Irish swimmer to medal at the Commonwealth Games. In 2024, he continued his success by claiming his first European medal at the Para Swimming European Championships in Madeira.
Barry holds a diploma in Sports & Exercise Science from Bangor South Eastern Regional College. He underwent an above-the-knee amputation of his right leg at just 10 months old due to a rare birth defect known as fibular hemimelia.
Paris marked his second Paralympic Games.
Schedule
Day 6 – September 3rd
S9 100m Backstroke (heat) 09:30 – 12:30
S9 100m Backstroke (final) 17:30 – 21:30
Day 9 – September 6th
S9 100m Fly (heat) 09:30 – 12:30
S9 100m Fly (final) 17:30 – 21:30
Instagram: barry_mcclements_
Tik Tok: pegleg606
Paris Results:
Day 6 – September 3rd
S9 100m Backstroke (heat): 1:05.36 (4th)
S9 100m Backstroke (final): 1:05.56 (8th)
Day 9 – September 6th
S9 100m Fly (heat): 1:01.38 (6th)
S9 100m Fly (final): 1:01.24 (5th)
