Barry's Amusements

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Barry's Amusements
Barrys amusements logo.gif
Location16 Eglinton Street, Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Coordinates55°12′11″N 6°39′14″W / 55.203°N 6.654°W / 55.203; -6.654Coordinates: 55°12′11″N 6°39′14″W / 55.203°N 6.654°W / 55.203; -6.654
Slogan"Let the fun begin"
OwnerTrufelli family
Opened1926 (1926)
Closed2021 (2021)
Previous namesBarry's
Operating seasonSpring/summer
Websitewww.barrysamusements.com
StatusClosed

Barry's Amusements was a former amusement park in Northern Ireland. It used to be in the centre of Portrush, County Antrim, on the north coast, and was founded in 1926. The owners offered it for sale in 2019 and it was reported sold for redevelopment in 2021.

Park[]

The amusement park occupies 2.23 acres (0.90 ha) in the centre of Portrush;[1] as of 2013 it was the largest amusement park in Ireland.[2] It has a mixture of traditional and modern amusements, and was normally open from Easter Monday until the first week in September.[2][3] Barry's employed many teenagers and university students from the area.[4]

History[]

Barry's was founded by the married couple of Francesco Trufelli, a former trapeze artist and manager of the Royal Italian Circus, and Evelyn Chipperfield of the Chipperfield's Circus family,[5] and remained a family business; as of 2006, when the BBC broadcast a documentary on the park,[6] it was run by sisters Lisa and Kristina Trufelli, the fourth generation. It became the longest-running amusement park in Northern Ireland.[1] The couple toured with the circus and then opened the amusement park in 1926 after being invited by the local railway company to permanently locate on a site beside the railway station; according to the company history, rather than use either of their family names, they named it 'Barry's' after the first supplier to arrive on-site, Barr.[5] The family at one time also operated Barry's amusement parks in Belfast and Bangor.[7]

The park was offered for sale in November 2019 as a going concern,[4] but was unable to open for the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021 it was offered for sale as a development opportunity.[1] An online petition was launched protesting against development.[8] In early August, Barry's was reported sold to property developer Michael Herbert, and the site is expected to be redeveloped for housing.[1][5]

Attractions[]

Current attractions[]

Name Picture Opened Brief Description
Airborne Shot
Barry's Big Dipper Bigdipperbarrys.jpg 2003 A compact steel roller coaster originally built in 1991 by Pinfari of Italy, updated in 2003.
Barry's Express 2008 A children's train ride brought in for the 2008 season: a train with three carriages on a circular track, with swaying carriages and music, themed to Thomas the Tank Engine.
Big Apple 1999 A children's roller coaster themed to a caterpillar. The ride takes the passengers through a giant apple; two rotations are given as the ride is short.

In 2010, the ride was refurbished and renamed to Speedy Mouse, with the roller coaster carts designed to look like Speedy Gonzales. The track remained the same, including the apple structure; it later reverted to the caterpillar theme.

Carousel The Carousel at Barry's Amusements, Portrush. - geograph.org.uk - 535895.jpg 1964 A carousel with wooden horses, which move mechanically up and down to simulate galloping;[9] more than 100 years old.[citation needed]
Cyclone A thrill twist ride in which riders, in small clustered carriages connected by beams at the top to a central point, are spun in the opposite direction to the ride as a whole and experience the illusion that the carriages will collide.
Dodgems A large dodgem track with 27 cars, each able to seat two people.
Extreme Orbiter 2018
Ghost Train 1968 A dark ride in which a train moves slowly through a tunnel decorated with horror-related items including model skeletons, witches and ghosts; updated in 2018 to include bigger scares such as Count Dracula and The Grim Reaper.
Helter Skelter 1973 Helter Skelter is a slide built in a spiral around a high tower; users climb the tower on the inside and slide down on a mat.
Jumping Astro 2012 A Drop Tower: a gondola is raised to the top and released to free-fall, in this case with several 'bounces', before being slowed by brakes.
Mini Dodgems Children's dodgems, smaller to enable young children to reach the pedals and steering wheel, and with reduced speed.
Monte Carlo A children's ride with a variety of vehicles mounted on a circular platform which spins to give the illusion of driving; updated in 2015.
Swing Chairs 2016/17
Turtle Splash 2006 A mini log flume designed for children, with the logs in which passengers sit styled as turtles.

Former attractions[]

Name Picture Opened Brief Description
The Satellite
Experience 2006-2016 A thrill ride that replaced the Satellite. Similar to an Orbiter, it was removed in early 2016 and replaced by the Airborne Shot.
Freak out 2003-2017 A pendulum-based fairground ride: riders sat facing each other on chairs suspended around the bob on the pendulum; the chairs rotated around the axis while the pendulum swung. The pendulum climbed to a maximum angle of 120° and reached a height of 22 metres (72 ft). Replaced by the Extreme Orbiter in 2018.

See also[]

  • List of theme parks in the United Kingdom

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Barry's Amusements: Sun due to set on NI's longest-running amusement park" (video, 1 min 59 secs). BBC News Northern Ireland. 3 August 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Barry's". Coleraine Borough Council. Archived from the original on 16 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Opening times". Barry's Amusements. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Amy Stewart (16 November 2019). "Barry's: 'I found the love of my life on the dodgems'". BBC News Northern Ireland. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Gillian Halliday (2 August 2021). "One of NI's richest men, Michael Herbert, linked to sale of Barry's Amusements in Portrush". Belfast Telegraph.
  6. ^ "BBC Northern Ireland - Autumn highlights 2006" (press release). BBC. 7 September 2006. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Your Place & Mine: Dodgem Days". BBC Northern Ireland. 16 October 2014 [2007]. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  8. ^ Allan Preston (9 May 2021). "Arlene Foster backs petition to save Barry's Amusements". Belfast Telegraph.
  9. ^ "The Carousel". Barry's Amusements. Archived from the original on 20 September 2003.

Further information[]

  • James Fairley (2006). Fun is Our Business: The Story of Barry's Amusements. Newtownards: Colourpoint Books. ISBN 9781904242710.
  • Marie Irvine (producer) (2006). Barry's. BBC Northern Ireland.

External links[]

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