Barney was born in Galway City in the West of Ireland to Mary and Barney, where he was reared with his brother Brian in a home that placed a large degree of emphasis on personal ethics, community service and lifelong learning. While his formal education took place in St. Joseph’s College, University College Galway (NUIG), Maynooth University (NUI Maynooth), The Military College, The University of Brighton, The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), and at the Kings Fund in the UK, he would say that some of the most important lessons in life were taught to him by his parents at their kitchen table.

He had a career as an officer in the Irish Defence Forces and served four tours of duty in Lebanon. He subsequently joined the National Health Service as manager of a regional ambulance service in the Mid- West region of Ireland where he also worked in emergency planning and personal and management development with middle and senior level managers. He has qualifications and experience in strategic and change management, management development, training and development and emergency planning.

Barney has worked in voluntary youth services from his mid teens as a frontline youth worker; he has worked with young people in conflict with the law and designed, managed and participated in community based alternative outdoor education programmes. Barney has also worked at Board level in youth services in Kildare and Limerick. He has served as Chairman of Ireland’s adventure sports organisation and in voluntary health organisations, the Irish Society of Immediate Care and the Irish Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare. He has been inspired by people who contribute voluntarily to their communities and to the service of others. He has qualifications and experience in outdoor education and youth work.

He has experience as a University lecturer in Management, Change Management, Quality Management, Negotiation, and Leadership and is a Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) external examiner to the Cadet School of the Military College. He is a fellow of the Irish Institute of Training and Development (IITD), and a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Institute of Directors (IOD).

He joined Gaisce – The President’s Award as Chief Executive in August 2006. He represents Ireland as a member of the International Council of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Association as a representative from the European, Mediterranean and Arab States (EMAS) region of that association.

Barney became a Rotarian in 1996 and served as club President of Limerick Thomond Rotary club in 2003-2004. He served subsequently as an Assistant Governor, member of the District training team, District Rotaract task force and chair of the District membership task force. Barney was elected at the RIBI Assembly 2011 to serve on the RIBI Executive.

He is married to Ursula who holds a PhD in History; they have two sons Ross and Cian. Ross is married, off the payroll and is a coach with the Munster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) while Cian, who has recently completed an MSc in International Management and Global Business at the University of Limerick, works in the pensions industry, he is also off the payroll but hangs on…by his fingertips. Free time is filled with the company of other people, reading, music, walking, and of course, fun.