Barry's in Portrush lights up sparking rumours of reopening

Speculation has been building Barry's famous amusements arcade in Portrush is set to reopen.

Over the weekend social media pictures emerged appearing to show testing of the amusements.

It has been reported Galway-based Curry's Fun Park has signed a lease to take it over with the centre to reopen in Easter. When contacted the company said it could not comment.

The amusement park was bought by property developer and former KFC franchise owner Michael Herbert last year.

It had been put on the market in 2019 with an asking price of around £2.75million, sparking fears it would be converted into apartments.

The venue has been a popular destination for holidaymakers for almost 100 years. It first opened in 1926 after husband and wife Francesco Trufelli and Evelyn Chipperfield - members of two circus families who toured Ireland - were invited to set up a permanent site in Portrush by the Railway Company. The company had invested in the train station and a hotel and felt an entertainment venue was needed. They family chose the name Barry’s as it was short and they felt Trufelli was too foreign and Chipperfield too long. The first delivery to the site was by a lorry with the name ‘Barr’ on the side.

When the family first put it on sale, they hoped to do so as a going concern but failed to find an owner.