After school Barrett attended Tralee IT where he studied Film, TV and Media. Also worked and trained in Radio with Kerry Radio.
Barrett won the IFTA Rising Star Award at the Irish Film and Television Academy Awards in Dublin for his debut feature 'Pilgrim Hill'. Previous winners of the award include Michael Fassbender and Saoirse Ronan.
In 2012 at the age of 24, Barrett's debut feature film 'Pilgrim Hill' premiered at the Galway International Film Festival in Ireland and immediately garnered critical acclaim, with critics calling the film "a masterful debut from a first time filmmaker". He won the Bingham Ray Best New Irish Talent Award at the Festival and the film won the Irish Times Best Film of the Festival. The film was then personally selected by Tom Luddy to have it's World Premiere at the prestigious Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. Barrett was also selected as the Great Expectation at the Festival, an honour bestowed to such filmmakers as Alexander Payne.
In January 2014, Barrett shot his second feature film 'Glassland' in Dublin, starring Jack Reynor, Will Poulter and Toni Collette. 'Glassland' had it's Irish premiere in July 2014 at the Galway International Film Festival and won Best Film garnering unanimous critical acclaim.
