He played hurling at various times with his local clubs Cloughduv and Éire Óg and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1910s and 1920s.
That year Barry-Murphy won his sole senior county championship winners' medal.
[citation needed] Barry-Murphy first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork junior hurling team in 1916.
An exciting game developed, however, the long whistle Cork were the champions by 4–6 to 3–4, giving Barry-Murphy an All-Ireland junior winners' medal.
Cork failed to retain their title as a goal blitz by Joe Phelan, Jimmy Walsh and Mick Neville gave Dublin a 4–9 to 4–3 victory.