Barry's Amusements facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Barry's Amusements

Previously known as Barry's
Park logo
Location	16 Eglinton Street, Portrush, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Coordinates	55°12′11″N 6°39′14″W / 55.203°N 6.654°W / 55.203; -6.654
Status	Open
Opened	1926 (1926)
Slogan	"LET THE FUN BEGIN"
Operating season	Easter – September
Attendance	N/A
Area	N/A
Attractions
Total	15
Roller coasters	2
Water rides	1

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

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.

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.

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.
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