Days Out NI
Heritage site Tandragee

Tayto Castle Tour

Northern Ireland's only crisp factory tour, run from an 1837 castle.

1 photo
Check hoursTours Mon–Thu at 10.30am and 1.30pm, Fri…
TicketedBook ahead
TandrageeHeritage site
Get directionsOfficial website
90 minutesHow long
TicketedEntry
Go insideAccess
On siteParking
Not suited to…Dogs

Tayto Castle Tour — Northern Ireland's only crisp factory tour, run from an 1837 castle.

  • Getting in: Pre-booked guided tour only, via taytotours.com. Walk-ins not guaranteed.
  • Opening: Tours Mon–Thu at 10.30am and 1.30pm, Fri at 10am. Check the booking page for current dates.
  • Inside: Yes, onto the working factory floor with a guide. The castle building itself holds Tayto's offices and is not open to explore.
  • Dogs: Not suited to a working food factory; not mentioned as permitted. Leave dogs at home.
  • Parking: On-site parking via the Armagh Road entrance.
  • Food: No catering on site, but crisps are sampled on the tour. Cafés on Tandragee Main Street nearby.
Plan your visit

See crisps made from potato to packet

The heart of the visit is the production line itself. Your guide takes you through the live factory to watch raw potatoes turned into Tayto crisps in real time, from washing and slicing to the fryers, the flavouring station and the packing machines. You sample crisps along the way and finish at the gift shop. Protective clothing is provided, but you need full arm and leg coverage and sensible closed shoes, so leave the high heels and sandals at home. Photography is allowed in the castle grounds but not on the factory floor.

Working crisp factory Guided tour, ~90 min Crisps to sample 1837 castle setting Gift shop Book ahead
Good to know before you go:

Tour slots and availability change with the season and sell out quickly, so book early through the official site. Larger groups should use the group enquiry form rather than booking individual tickets.

Before you set off

What to bring

  • 👟Comfy shoesThere is usually a bit of walking, some steps and uneven older ground.
  • 📷A cameraThe history, the architecture and the setting are all worth capturing.
  • 💷A few poundsSome heritage sites are ticketed or have a shop and café — handy to have.
  • 💧Water and a snackNot every site has a café on hand, so pack a little something.
Good to know

Everything before you go

Getting in
Pre-booked guided tour only, via taytotours.com. Walk-ins not guaranteed.
Opening
Tours Mon–Thu at 10.30am and 1.30pm, Fri at 10am. Check the booking page for current dates.
Can you go inside
Yes, onto the working factory floor with a guide. The castle building itself holds Tayto's offices and is not open to explore.
Food
No catering on site, but crisps are sampled on the tour. Cafés on Tandragee Main Street nearby.
Dogs
Not suited to a working food factory; not mentioned as permitted. Leave dogs at home.
Parking
On-site parking via the Armagh Road entrance.
Accessibility
The factory route may not suit restricted mobility or some medical devices. Email [email protected] to discuss needs before booking.
How long to allow
About 90 minutes for the tour, with roughly an hour of walking. Allow half a day with travel.
Address
Tandragee Castle, The Square, Tandragee, BT62 2AB
Questions

Before you go

Is it free to visit?
Pre-booked guided tour only, via taytotours.com. Walk-ins not guaranteed.
Can you go inside?
Yes, onto the working factory floor with a guide. The castle building itself holds Tayto's offices and is not open to explore.
When is it open?
Tours Mon–Thu at 10.30am and 1.30pm, Fri at 10am. Check the booking page for current dates.
Can I bring the dog?
Not suited to a working food factory; not mentioned as permitted. Leave dogs at home.
Where do I park?
On-site parking via the Armagh Road entrance.
Getting there

Tayto Castle Tour is at Tandragee Castle, The Square, Tandragee, BT62 2AB. On-site parking via the Armagh Road entrance. Tap below for directions.

Directions on Google MapsOfficial website See it on our map
Nearby

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The story

The story of Tandragee Castle

The site began as a stronghold of the O'Hanlon clan. During the Plantation of Ulster around 1610, Sir Oliver St John, then Lord Deputy of Ireland, acquired and rebuilt it. In the Irish Rebellion of 1641 the O'Hanlons tried to take back their lands and the castle was ruined. It stayed a ruin for roughly two hundred years.

The castle you see today dates from about 1837, when George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester, commissioned its rebuilding. He had come into the estate through his marriage to Millicent Sparrow. The Montagu family kept Tandragee as an Irish residence through several generations of Dukes into the twentieth century.

The Manchester connection ended in the 1950s, when Alexander Montagu, 10th Duke of Manchester, sold the castle and estate. The buyer was Thomas Hutchinson, a Tandragee businessman who had founded Tayto. From 1956 he began making crisps in the castle grounds, turning a country seat into the home of a Northern Ireland institution.

Today the castle houses Tayto's offices, the demesne includes a golf course, and the modern factory beside it is the only crisp factory in Northern Ireland you can tour. The result is an unusual pairing: a nineteenth-century rebuild on a Plantation-era site, wrapped around a working production line.