As Barry’s or Curry’s, the re-opening of the attraction is welcome

Barry’s is back at Portrush — and by Easter too!

Well, not quite. Barry’s will indeed be open by this coming holiday, but it will do so as Curry’s.

There is a sadness to such a famous name being dropped, but at least the premises will return.

The popular amusement park in the heart of one of Northern Ireland’s most loved tourist towns seemed set to close forever when it was sold last year.

The prospect of its prime seafront site being turned into yet more property was a depressing one.

Portrush, like so much of the north coast, has long been a holiday spot for families. And what could be more thrilling for kids than going on rides such as the Big Dipper?

Recently came good news that Barry’s will not be replaced by apartment blocks, but will return as amusements, run on a long lease by the Curry family from Londonderry.

When residential property becomes expensive, as it does in popular vacation spots, and as it did in towns and cities on both sides of the Irish border in the 2006 and 2007 boom, all sorts of facilities, attractions and conveniences get sold and turned into yet more housing. This often ends in tears.

In Dublin, for example, city centre petrol stations got gobbled up as land for further apartments. In such a situation soon no-one has a petrol station nearby and so stations that remain open make lots of money, demand for them rises, so that the pendulum swings back again away from housing.

Something similar can happen in holiday towns.

If Portrush lost Barry’s to more housing, part of the soul of the town would be gone. There would be less to do, less variety on the skyline and thus less to see.

Maybe in the future people will start calling it Curry’s. If so, the managers of the newly re-branded franchise will deserve that accolade for having saved such an attraction. Or maybe people will still call it Barry’s.

The key point is that families from across NI will continue to have fun experiences there.

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdowns having had a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions

now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry, Editor