The inscription, carved in the phonetic and idiosyncratic spelling common to the period, commemorates one Samuel Barinton, and manages in a handful of lines to deliver both a profession and a pun. He was, it tells us, a "clock and chime maker" who "made his one time goe early and later" but who has now been "returned to God his creator." The wordplay is gentle and deliberate, the kind of epitaph composed by someone who wanted the deceased to be remembered with warmth rather than solemnity.

According to the Urban Survey of Limerick, compiled by Bradley and colleagues in 1989, the memorial dates to 1693 and was documented in detail by Fitzgerald in 1910. The inscription identifies Barinton as a "great undertaker of famiovs giftes," a phrase that likely refers to his skill and reputation as a craftsman rather than any funerary profession, "undertaker" carrying broader meaning in the seventeenth century. He died on the 19th of November, and the plaque was placed by his son Ben, whose final act of filial devotion was to commission something that preserved not just his father's name but something of his father's character. The memorial is recorded in the National Monuments Service database under the reference LI005-017015.

St. Mary's Cathedral is the oldest building in continuous use in Limerick city, and it remains an active place of worship, so visitors should be mindful of services when planning a visit. The Barinton memorial is fixed to a pillar near the south entrance, which makes it relatively straightforward to locate once inside. The lettering follows the conventions of the period, with V used in place of U and phonetic constructions throughout, so reading it aloud helps considerably. It rewards close attention; the more carefully you read, the more clearly you can hear the voice of whoever composed it.