Keane Barry has opened up about the personal turning point behind his darts revival, crediting his girlfriend Emily for helping him rediscover his love for the sport after two difficult years. The 23-year-old Irishman admitted the past two seasons were "a complete write off," saying he wasn't enjoying darts and didn't want to be there. But over the last six months, Barry has been feeling "really good" in his personal life, losing weight and eating right, with changes beginning "since I met my girlfriend Emily."
Barry's renewed mindset showed at the recent UK Open in Minehead, where he reached the last 16 before a painful defeat to Gerwyn Price. Despite the loss, Barry averaged around 101 in the last six legs and had one match dart, taking positives from the performance. He described the UK Open as a "happy hunting ground" where he enjoys the unique open draw format. The match against Price took place on Stage Two with close crowd proximity, featuring both Irish and Welsh supporters, but Barry said he didn't let the atmosphere faze him.
The young player, who has spent six or seven years on the PDC circuit, has also experimented with his equipment, trying darts that stood unusually upright in the board after practice success, but returned to his original setup due to inconsistency. Barry discussed Luke Littler's impressive UK Open title win, recalling beating Littler 5-2 or 5-3 in a Super 16 final around 2020 and noting his talent was obvious even then. Looking ahead, Barry emphasized the importance of European Tour events for ranking points and prize money, though qualification has become tougher with criteria changes.
Barry's focus remains on step-by-step progress, with little goals set for the year. After his difficult period, he's happy to have "a fresh start and go again," enjoying the buzz for darts once more as he looks to qualify for more events and continue his upward trajectory.
