doNEgAl sQUarE

“Marie” Barry

Longest name ever…. Mariestelle Louise Ann McNamara Barry. (Vowel anyone?) The oldest child of seven! (No explanation required.) Although we are scattered about, my family is very important to me.

Best day of my life was when my son Sean was born on March 16th, 2000.  

Love (love) did I say “love” music — various genres, especially “Celtic” music!!

Studied piano for eight years and sang in my church choir for over 10 years.

Big supporter of PBS — a “Downton Abbey” forever fan. 

Enjoy watching and traveling to sporting events with Sean, family and friends — especially baseball in the summertime!  ESPN was the first word Sean learned. (ha!) 

Love to make people around me laugh, puns are fun!!! #humor #sillygirl #laugh It’s good for the soul!

Thanks to a co-worker and McCarthy’s Red Pub Stag crew, Iappreciate a good whiskey, “in the jar!!”   

After work, it can be difficult at times to turn down an offer to have a pint — here or over the pond!! Guinness girl!!   

Ireland truly has 40 shades of green-a captivating magical land. So thankful of any time I have travelled there, experienced the culture, and all the connections I’ve made along by the way.  ❤️

“By the sea, by the sea, always a place I love to be….”star of the sea”, that’s me!!”  (Marie: Sea  Stelle: Star)  Thanks Mom & Dad!  

Did I mention my love of all things candy and whoever invented sea salt caramels? I love you!  And, the Cadbury from the U.K. and Ireland is truly the best! 

Closely connected to a wonderful group of girls I know and love for over 38 years.  What a blessing to have them in my life. 

One other very important ingredient to my life: My role in managing Donegal Square — my celtic family — since 1989, and every Celtic Classic (30th year 2017).  Slainte!! 

Hey, I'm Neville,
The founder and great manifester behind Donegal Square. 

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At age 11, I sold a farmer’s wife a bra in the Ladies Dress Shop that my Mum ran in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. So began my entrepreneurial adventure. Fairly early on I knew a career involving entrepreneurship, sales, and being around people was in the cards for me.  

Growing up in Lambeg, a small village eight miles from Belfast, I was reared partly by my Granny McCarthy while my Mum went to work. My Mum and Dad had gone to work early in life with no opportunity for advanced education because of their family circumstances and the outbreak of World War II. Even though my parents didn’t have an abundance of money, there was always food on the table. Great breads, scones and baked goods were always part of my upbringing.

Sports have always been a huge part of my life, and because of my love for them I managed to get a Grammar School Education by receiving a scholarship (which also enabled me to participate in all the sports I enjoyed). When I first came to the USA to live, following a trans-Atlantic field hockey romance, I was drawn to the idea of importing the things from Ireland and the UK that I missed the most. Following a period of experimenting with importing tweeds and knitwear for wholesale, I realized there was potential for a business in the Lehigh Valley. The ultimate goal for my wife and I (I married a local woman, Linda Shay, the same woman from the trans-Atlantic field hockey romance back in 1978) was to create a comfortable, friendly, warm atmosphere with a rich cultural experience — as if you were visiting Ireland.

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