Built on the banks of the River Lee around 1780, the folly was named after a local family and was once the Pride of Cork. The folly was an integral part of a social club, the Ballintemple Corporation, headed up by Sir David Perrier, Mayor of Cork in 1814.
One eccentric event, which The Cork Merchantile Chronicle newspaper of mid July 1814, records is a very insightful notice convening a meeting of Ballintemple Corporation. The meeting was to mark the ancient ceremony of throwing the dart for the following 12th August by the chair, who was also the Mayor of Cork, David Perrier. The notice reads:
“The members of the body corporate of Ballintemple are therefore to assemble at 10 o’clock in high regalia and paraphernalia, gowns, wigs and hoods, maces and other outward signs of wisdom and jurisprudence, and after proceeding in antique form and magisterial dignity, with music, banners, streamers, etc., cause to be recognised their jurisdiction over the slobs, fens. moors, marshes, estuaries, brickeries, fisheries, flukeries, cockleries, dabsands, flounder banks and periwinkle beds in and out of the river Luvius, Hodie, Lee, and all the bays, gulfs, creeks and channels, inlets and outlets thereunto belonging or appertaining, and then feast as becometh in the Great Hall of the Corporation, and till those abroad or beyond the seas or otherwise prevented from a due obedience to this proclamation are, on pain of disfranchisement, to send their attested letters of incapacity as of old established. Done in full Council, at the Council Hall, this 12th July, in the year of safety, 1814, of the Corporation. Timothy Brusnehaune, Town Clerk.”
The glittering regalia paraphernalia was borrowed by a local group of theatre players called the Apollo Society, who had just staged a play called Blue Beard. A large set piece of large elephant of the performance was also borrowed and fixed on one of the folly’s mudboats. The procession along the river and the Navigation Wall was intended as a good-humoured take on Corporation of Cork and and the ancient ceremony of Throwing the Dart.
During the regular dredging of the river the mud and silt was dumped in front of the folly by the Cork Harbour Commissioners. In time the view of the river was obscured by the trees and vegetation that grew upon the reclaimed sloblands. This coincided with the building of the Cork to Passage railway in the 1840s when the importance of the folly was overlooked. In time it became a forgotten ruin, it slowly disintegrated and disappeared from sight over the years, huge trees and shrubs covered this iconic gem and people going for their daily stroll up and down the Marina were totally unaware of its existence.
Restoration work has been ongoing for several years and the completion of phase 2 of the Marina Park saw the opening of the elevated tree bridge that leads to the newly restored Barrington’s Folly.
THE CACHE
Final coords N51 53.ABC W8 25.DEF
How many sides does the tower have = A
How many gated entrances altogether x2 = B
How many purple signs on the folly = C
How many large indented crosses altogether = D
How many blocked in windows on the tower part /2 = E
How many letters in the 1st orange word on the Barrington's folly info board = F
The checksum of ALL the numbers = 57