Barr has represented Scotland at all levels of shinty, most recently in 2009.[3][4]
He is known for a physically dominant style of play.[5] The crowd at the 2009 Scotland-Ireland international enjoyed the good humoured chant "John Barr ate my car".[3]
In 2006, he was part of the Scottish University Shinty Men's squad and having performed so well as a hurler, he received a Universities Hurling All Star honour in recognition of this.[6]
His first senior cap was in 2005 and in October 2015 he gained his fourteenth cap as captain of Scotland against Ireland in the first leg of the cross-code Shinty-Hurling at Bight Park in Inverness.
[7] Scotland won the tie.[8]
Barr has acted as a Trustee on the Board of RGU union since 2014.[2]
