| Official Name: | Tandragee |
| Irish Name: | Tóin re Gaoith[1] |
| Static Image Name: | The Square,Tandragee - geograph.org.uk - 1406170.jpg |
| Static Image Caption: | The Square, Tandragee (2009) |
| Map Type: | Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates: | 54.356°N -6.415°W |
| Label Position: | none |
| Belfast Distance Mi: | 25 |
| Population: | 3,545 |
| Population Ref: | (2021 Census) |
| Irish Grid Reference: | J030462 |
| Unitary Northern Ireland: | Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon |
| Country: | Northern Ireland |
| Post Town: | CRAIGAVON |
| Postcode Area: | BT |
| Postcode District: | BT62 |
| Dial Code: | 028 |
| Constituency Westminster: | Newry & Armagh |
| Constituency Ni Assembly: | Newry & Armagh |
| Lieutenancy Northern Ireland: | County Armagh |
Tandragee [2] is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is built on a hillside overlooking the Cusher River, in the civil parish of Ballymore and the historic barony of Orior Lower.[3]
Earlier spellings of the name include Tanderagee and Tonregee.[2] It had a population of 3,545 people in the 2021 Census.
Overlooking the town is Tandragee Castle. Originally the seat of the Chief of the Name of the O'Hanlon Irish clan and Lord of Orior, the Castle and surrounding countryside were confiscated and granted to Oliver St John and his heirs during the Tudor conquest of Ireland and the Plantation of Ulster.
According to D. J. O'Donoghue's account of his 1825 Irish tour, Sir Walter Scott was fascinated by the life and career of Redmond O'Hanlon, a local Rapparee leader. Hoping to make him the protagonist of an adventure novel, Scott corresponded with Lady Olivia Sparrow, an Anglo-Irish landowner whose estates included Tandragee. Although Scott asked Lady Olivia to obtain as much information as possible about O'Hanlon, he was forced to give up on the project after finding documentation too scanty.[4]
Tandragee Castle was rebuilt in about 1837 for The 6th Duke of Manchester. Today, its grounds are home to the Tayto potato-crisp factory.
In 2000, Tandragee was scene of the Murders of Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine, two teenaged local Protestants who were unaffiliated with any paramilitary organization, by three members of the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade and as part of an ongoing Loyalist feud between the UVF and LVF.[5]
The largest event to occur in the town is when it plays host to the Tandragee 100 Motorcycle Races.[6] First held in 1958 as a 100 mile handicap race, the Tandragee 100 has played host to a wide-range of road racers notably: Guy Martin, Joey Dunlop, Ryan Farquhar and Michael Dunlop.[6]
Tandragee Rovers play in the Mid-Ulster Football League. There is a golf course within the grounds of Tandragee Castle, within walking distance of the main street. It is 5,589 metres, par 71, and a hilly parkland course.
Shay McDonnell - International Rugby Union Player - Gibraltar Rugby Football Union
Thomas Sinton opened a mill in town in the 1880s, an expansion of his firm from its original premises at nearby Laurelvale – a model village which he built. Sintons' mill, at the banks of the River Cusher, remained in production until the 1990s.[7] The potato-crisp company Tayto has a factory and offices beside Tandragee Castle. It offers guided tours.
Tandragee railway station opened on 6 January 1852 and was shut on 4 January 1965.[8]
Northern Ireland Electricity has an interconnector to County Louth in the Republic of Ireland from the outskirts of the town.[9]
Tandragee had a population of 3,545 people in the 2021 Census.[10] Of these:
Tandragee had a population of 3,486 people (1,382 households) in the 2011 Census. Of these:[12]
Tandragee is classified as an intermediate settlement by the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) (i.e. with population between 2,050 and 4,500 people).On Census day (29 April 2001) there were 3,050 people living in Tandragee. Of these:
For more details see: NI Neighbourhood Information Service