I knew Barry for quite a number of years. In addition to his political shrewdness he also enjoyed dancing and I often chatted with him during breaks in the revelry at the disco in the Hirschfeld Centre. These brief conversations were for me oases of sanity and refreshment in a hectic programme and I remember them with gratitude. I recall also with gratitude Barry's quietly practical assistance during my various campaigns to take a seat in Seanad Eireann. He would turn up often with Oliver and settle down without complaint to a few hours drudgery folding letters o r manifestoes and putting them into envelopes. It was the unselfish and cheerfully given help of people like Barry that eventually got me the seat we all worked so hard for.