User:Blog2010/barry ward

Barry Ward (born Dún Laoghaire, 14 November 1977) is an Irish politician and barrister.

Educated at St. Conleth's College in Ballsbridge (where he is now the President of the Past Pupils' Union ), Ring College in Waterford and St. Laurence's College in Loughlinstown. He went on to UCD, where he obtained a B.A. in French & Politics and was auditor of the Literary and Historical Society. He studied for a time in Paris, at the Universtiy of Paris X Nanterre and was awarded a post-grad in business from the UCD's Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business.

Ward qualified as a barrister at King's Inns in Dublin and was called to the Irish Bar in 2005. He joined Fine Gael in 2001 and spent two years as Legal Adviser to Enda Kenny TD, Leader of Ireland's main opposition party, Fine Gael, until the 2007 general election in Ireland. He now practices as a barrister in the areas of judicial review, administrative and criminal law.

In 2009, Ward was elected to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council as one of two Fine Gael councillors for the Blackrock LEA, taking the second seat with nearly 2,000 first preference votes.

As the next Irish general election approaches, Ward will likely be a contender for his party's nomination to run in the Dún Laoghaire constituency.