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.[5]
The largest event to occur in the town is when it plays host to the Tandragee 100 Motorcycle Races.[7]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.[8]
Association Football
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.
Notable People
Shay McDonnell - International Rugby Union Player - Gibraltar Rugby Football Union
Industry and transport
Tandragee Castle and gate lodge
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.[9] The potato-crisp company Tayto has a factory and offices beside Tandragee Castle. It offers guided tours.
Tandragee had a population of 3,545 people in the 2021 Census.[4] Of these:
76.92% were from a Protestant background and 10.75% were from a Roman Catholic background[12]
2011 Census
Tandragee had a population of 3,486 people (1,382 households) in the 2011 Census. Of these:[13]
23.26% were under 16 years old and 12.62% were aged 65 and above.
50.06% of the population were male and 49.94% were female.
81.84% were from a Protestant background and 11.70% were from a Roman Catholic background
2001 Census
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:
24.9% were aged under 16 years and 14.3% were aged 60 and over
48.0% of the population were male and 50.0% were female
86.9% were from a Protestant background and 10.5% were from a Roman Catholic background