A veteran coach in the Philadelphia area, Fergal Barry joined the Penn men’s heavyweight rowing program as an assistant coach in September 2023.
His first year in the Burk-Bergman Boathouse coincided with the program's continued ascension. The Varsity Eight took fifth at EARC Sprints, its best finish at that event since the 2001 crew also finished fifth, and at the IRA Championships the 1V8 finished eighth (its best finish since 2000) while the 2V8 and 3V8 both beat their pre-race seeds in finishing ninth and 12th. As a team, Penn took ninth in the Ten Eyck Trophy standings for total team points. The Quakers also swept the Madeira and Wray Cups from Cornell during the regular season, winning the Madeira for just the fourth time this century and the Wray (total points) for the first time since 1998.
Penn had another solid campaign in 2024-25. All five boats made the Grand Final at Sprints, and the Quakers placed tenth in the Ten Eyck Trophy standings. During the regular season, the Red and Blue retained the Madeira Cup and Wray Trophy and gained possession of the Burk Cup (beating Northeastern) and the Blackwell Cup (beating Yale and Columbia). The last time Penn held all that hardware in the same season was 2001.
A 2014 Temple graduate, Barry made the move to University City after several years as a coach with his alma mater. He served as a graduate assistant with the Owls before being promoted to assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in 2019. Finally, he was Temple’s interim head coach in June 2023. Barry coached Temple’s Freshmen/Novice program, leading that group to one Gold and three Silvers in the Dad Vail Regatta.
A four-year member of the Owls’ Varsity 8, Barry rowed under the tutelage of Dr. Gavin White while at Temple. His Varsity Eight crews won gold at the Stetson Sprints, the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta, the Philadelphia Frostbite, and the Knecht Cup. In the spring of 2011 and 2014, Barry raced in the Varsity Four and placed 11th at the IRA Championship both seasons.
A native of Galway, Ireland, Barry represented his home country at the Home International in 2007 and 2008, winning the Junior Men's Eights and Fours in 2007. He has also raced several times at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta.
