Barry McDonnell rowed in the men's eight at the 1948 London Olympic Games as part of the composite Irish crew at Henley-on-Thames - the only Irish team at those Games to be officially designated 'Ireland' in the programme. A member of UCDBC, he was part of the core UCD crew that had won the Senior VIII title at the Belfast Regatta (the Olympic trial) in 1948. The composite crew was beaten by Canada and Portugal in the opening heat and by Norway in the repechage.
Barry McDonnell was from Virginia, County Cavan and attended Clongowes Wood College and University College Dublin where he earned a B.E. degree. During his time at UCD he was a president of the Old Collegians Boat Club, representing Ireland at the 1947 and 1948 Irish Senior Eights Championships. He was also selected as a member of the Irish eights that competed at the 1948 Olympics. He later served in a coaching role for UCD Boat Club in the 1950s.
The son of Ernest and Helen McDonnell, proprietors of Park Hotel in Virginia, he later took over the family business in 1953 alongside his wife Helen. Described as one of the most prominent hoteliers in Ireland, McDonnell also served as the president of the Irish Hotels' Federation and was a founding member and director of Irish Welcome Hotels. He also was a managing director at a baking materials company, Irish Bakels Limited.
Rowing
