Disclosed is a method of operation within a processor that permits load instructions to be issued speculatively. An instruction sequence is received that includes multiple barrier instructions and a load instruction that follows the barrier instructions in the instruction sequence. In response to the multiple barrier instructions, barrier operations are issued on an interconnect coupled to the processor. Also, while the barrier operations are pending, a load request associated with the load instruction is speculatively issued. When the load request is issued, a flag is set to indicate that it was speculatively issued. The flag is reset when acknowledgments of all the barrier operations are received. Data that is returned before the acknowledgments are received is temporarily held and forwarded to the register and/or execution unit of the processor only after the acknowledgments are received. If a snoop invalidate is detected for the speculatively issued load request before completion of the barrier operations, the data is discarded and the load request is re-issued.