Tandragee Castle
| Tandragee Castle | |
|
County Armagh | |
|---|---|
 Tandragee Castle | |
| Type: | Georgian |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | J02964618 |
| Location: | 54°21’14"N, 6°25’1"W |
| Village: | Tandragee |
| History | |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Converted to factory use |
| Owned by: | Tayto |
Tandragee Castle stands by the village of Tandragee in County Armagh. It was built in 1837 by George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester as the family's Irish home. The Duke acquired the estate through his marriage to Millicent Sparrow (1798–1848).
History
Before the Plantation of Ulster there stood at Tandragee a stronghold of the O'Hanlon Clan. At the Plantation, the castle became the property of Sir Oliver St John, the Lord Deputy of Ireland, who later became Viscount Grandison. He rebuilt the old O'Hanlon castle. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, the O'Hanlons attempted to regain their lands and as a result the new castle was ruined, and it remained a ruin for two hundred years.[1][2]
In 1822, the heiress of the estate, Millicent Sparrow, married the Duke of Manchester, and in 1837 he commissioned a new country house here in the form of a castle, which was to be the family seat when in Ulster.
The castle and estate were sold by The 10th Duke of Manchester (who was born at Tandragee) in the 1950s, and it was purchased by Mr. Hutchinson, a businessman from Tandragee.
The castle today
Today the Castle houses offices for the Tayto potato crisp factory. The park's demesne incorporates a golf course.[3]
