Barry came to America from Ireland in the early 2000's and immediately fell in love with our country. He spent much of his time in Boston and lived there for years.
He loved biking and developed a passion for construction.
When he came in for his interview with us, I immediately liked him and suggested to my partner, Scott Cummings, we go ahead and hire him.
Barry had a quiet personality. He was patient in everything he took on and all of our team loved him.
He would be on the projects on time (usually early), every day, working until whenever was needed. He worked 6 days a week.
Our apprentices enjoyed working with him because he took the time to teach them how to do many things.
Even with his patient demeanor, he was a get it done type of guy- not once did we ever hear from him-"I can't do that".
When he was killed at Downtown Crossing the night of March 17, 2023, our whole world was turned upside down and both trials took that long to get through, resulting in a manslaughter conviction January 22, 2026 for the man that he met that night.
Barry grew up in Dublin along with his brother Darren and their mom and dad.
Their dad had passed away a few years before Barry was killed. Their mom unfortunately passed away after Barry was killed but before the guilty verdict of the 2nd trial.
Barry's brother Darren is left to pick up the pieces and lives in Dublin.
Darren described Barry as a "Gentle Soul". He was all of that and a kind human being.
God bless the Whelan family.
Posted September 2026