This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by Frances Clarke. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
Born: 9 January 1893, Ireland
Died: 9 April 1984
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: Leslie Mary Price
de Barra, Leslie (Mary) (1893–1984), republican and Red Cross pioneer, was born 9 January 1893 at 39 Royal Canal Bank, Dublin, daughter of Michael Price , blacksmith, and Mary Price (née Hamilton). Both parents were enthusiasitic supporters of Charles Stewart Parnell. Educated in Dublin, she later attended St Mary’s Training College in Belfast, where she qualified as a national school teacher. On return to Dublin (1915) she became active in the Ard Craobh of the Gaelic League, and within days of attending the funeral of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa she joined the Ard Craobh of Cumann na mBan. An active member of the organisation, on Easter Monday 1916 she reported to the GPO, where she received orders from Tom Clarke who initially sent her to the Hibernian Bank, Abbey St. She later delivered ammunition and dispatches between the GPO and the battalion of Ned Daly at Father Mathew Hall. Her two brothers, Seán and Éamonn Price, also took part and were subsequently imprisoned in Frongoch. Elected to Cumann na mBan’s executive at its conference in the autumn of 1916, she resigned her teaching post (1917) on being appointed its full-time director of organisation. As such, she worked on establishing a communications network and travelled the countryside, encouraging women to assist in the republican movement. During the truce negotiations Éamon de Valera sent her to Cork for information concerning the condition of Lord Bandon, held by the IRA. While working for Cumann na mBan she met Tom Barry, commander of the IRA’s West Cork flying column, and married him (August 1921). Their wedding was attended by both de Valera and Michael Collins. She and Barry took the anti-treaty side in the civil war. During his imprisonment in the Curragh she continued work for Cumann na mBan; by now she was director of training.
After the civil war she and her husband settled in Cork, where she continued to work for the Gaelic League. Though she withdrew from politics in the 1930s, she returned to national prominence when she joined the Irish Red Cross Society on its foundation (1939). She became its chairwoman (1950) and represented Ireland at international level. National president of Gorta, the state organisation for famine relief, she was also a founder member and president of the Women’s Industrial Development Association. She acted as chairwoman of the Erinville Hospital for five years, and was also a member of the National Health Council. Her many awards for humanitarian work included decorations from the Irish, Dutch, German, and Italian governments, the Order of Malta (1963), and the Henri Dunant medal (1978), the highest award of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The NUI made her an hon. LLD. She died 9 April 1984 in St Finbarr’s hospital, Cork, and was buried locally.