Barry's Amusements

Barry's Amusements is an amusement park in Northern Ireland.[1] It is situated in the centre of Portrush, County Antrim, on the north coast. It is a popular family attraction for visitors to the area.

Barry's Amusements
Park logo
Location16 Eglinton Street, Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Coordinates55.203°N 6.654°W / 55.203; -6.654
Slogan"LET THE FUN BEGIN"
Opened1926 (1926)
Previous namesBarry's
Operating seasonEaster – September
Visitors per annumN/A
AreaN/A
Attractions
Total15
Roller coasters2
Water rides1
Websitewww.barrysamusements.com
StatusOperating

History

In 1925, travelling members of the Chipperfield and Trufelli circus families were invited by the local railway company to permanently locate in Portrush on a site beside the railway station. The name 'Barry's' is based on an early supplier (Barr). Barry's maintains a mixture of traditional and modern amusements. Due to the ongoing worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, Barry's was unable to open for the 2020 season.

Opening hours

Barry's opens on a seasonal basis, normally from Easter Monday until the first week in September.[2]

Workforce

Barry's has a long-standing reputation of providing jobs for teenagers in the local area; rides are operated by older members of staff but the ride attendants are mostly school going teenagers.date August 2014}

Barry's in the media
  • A book, Fun is Our Business was published by Colourpoint Books in 2006 to celebrate Barry's 80th anniversary.
  • A BBC NI documentary "Your Place and Mine" was filmed about Barry's in 2006, it was aired around October of the same year.[3]

Attractions

Current attractions
Name Picture Opened Brief Description
Airborne Shot
Barry's Big Dipper 2003 A compact steel roller coaster, updated in 2003. Originally built in 1991 by Pinfari of Italy.
Barry's Express 2008 Barry's Express is a children's train ride brought in for the 2008 season. It is a train with three carriages that travels around a circular track, with swaying carriages and music. It is themed to Thomas the Tank Engine.
Big Apple 1999 The Big Apple is a children's roller coaster themed to a caterpillar. The ride takes the passengers through a giant apple, and two rotations are given as the ride is quite 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 was kept the same and the apple structure remained. It has since reverted to the original caterpillar theme.

Carousel 1964 The carousel "seats" are in the form of wooden horses, which are moved mechanically up and down to simulate galloping. This particular carousel is boasted to be over 100 years old.[4]
Cyclone The cyclone is a thrill twist ride in which riders, suspended in spinning cars experience the illusion that they will crash into other suspended, spinning cars. Riders are seated in small carriages clustered together and connected by beams at the top to a central point. The clustered vehicles are spun in one direction, while the ride as a whole spins in the opposite direction.
Dodgems A large dodgem track with 27 cars, each able to seat two people.
Extreme Orbiter 2018
Ghost Train 1968 The dark ride consists of a train that moves quite slowly through a darkened tunnel decorated with horror related items (e.g. models of skeletons, witches and ghosts). "Spooky" music and/or sound effects are played through the ride. It was updated in 2018 with bigger and better scares like Count Dracula and The Grim Reaper.
Helter Skelter 1973 The Helter Skelter is a slide built in a spiral around a high tower. Users climb up inside the tower and slide down the outside on a mat.
Jumping Astro 2012 The Jumping Astro is a Drop Tower. The gondola carrying riders is lifted to the top of the vertical tower then released to free-fall down the tower, in this particular tower the riders "bounce" several times. Brakes activate to slow the gondola as it approaches the bottom of the ride.
Mini Dodgems The mini dodgems are the kids equivalent to the dodgems. The speed is reduced and the cars are smaller to allow young children to reach the foot pedals and steering wheel.
Monte Carlo The Monte Carlo is a kids ride in Barry's it has a variety of vehicles mounted on a circular platform which spins in a circle to make it feel like the child is driving their chosen vehicle. The Ride got an update in 2015.
Swing Chairs 2016/17
Turtle Splash 2006 The Turtle Splash is a mini log flume designed for children. The logs in which the passengers sit are designed as turtles to fit into the theme of the ride.

Some of the former attractions
Name Picture Opened Brief Description
The Satellite
Experience 2006-2016 Experience was one of Barry's main thrill rides, brought in to replace the Satellite. The ride was similar to the popular fairground attraction Orbiter. It was removed in the beginning of 2016 and replaced by the Airborne Shot.
Freak out 2003-2017 The Freak Out was a pendulum-based fairground ride. The riders sat facing each other on chairs suspended around the bob on the pendulum. During motion, the pendulum climbed to a maximum angle of 120° and reached a height of 22 metres (72 ft.). Whilst swinging, the chairs rotated around the axis of the pendulum. It got replaced by the Extreme Orbiter in 2018.

See also

References
  1. "Barry's Amusements – CBC". Colerainebc.gov.uk. 5 October 2006. Archived from the original on 16 March 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  2. "Opening times". Barry's Amusements. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  3. "Your Place And Mine - Antrim - Barry's Amusements". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  4. Archived 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
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