| The
town of  Tandragee 'Tóin re Gaoith' (Backside
of the wind) is perched on a small hill or drumlin in County Armagh,
anciently the town belonged to Ó hAnnlúinn 'O'Hanlon'
sept, they were disposed of it and their lands during the plantation
of Ireland.
One of their number Redmond O'Hanlon who
was heir to the O'Hanlon estates became a very famous highwayman,
during his reign, if that is the correct term he is said to have
made more money from Counties Down and Armagh than the government,
his rule came to an end when he was shot by his step brother to
claim the £200.00 reward offered by the British government,
his head was for a time set on a pike above Downpatrick jail.
After the Plantation of Ulster,  Oliver St John (the Lord Deputy of Ireland) took
over and rebuilt O'Hanlon Castle at Tandragee During the Ulster
Rebellion of 1641 the O'Hanlon clan attempted to take back their
lands, but it ended in disaster and the castle burnt down and remained
a ruin for 200 years. The castle was rebuilt in the baronial style
around 1837 by George Montagu, 6th Duke of Manchester
The 6th January 1852 saw the opening of the
Madden Station about one and a half miles from Tandragee, this was
the main line from Belfast to Dublin it runs side by side with The
Newry Canal from some distance south of Tandragee almost to
Portadown. During its time Tandragee
Station contributed significantly to the economy of the area as
indeed did the canal, Tandragee station was closed on 4th January
1965, while the canal unable to compete with the railway had been abandoned in 1949.
Tandragee has supplied thousands if not millions
of breakfast's to not only Ireland but the world, Tandragee is the
home to Whites porridge mill which was first set up in the town
in 1841.
If you have an interest in motorcycle racing
you will know that Tandragee is the venue for The Tandragee 100
the first race was held in 1958, recently two of the riders have
been killed, safety consideration have forced the cancellation of
the 2010 race, however the North Armagh Motorcycle Club who organise
the event intend to proceed with the 2011 event.
|
which
passes near the town has been used to power industries such as Whites
mill famous as the producer of porridge oats, and Thomas Sintons linen
mill which was opened in the 1880's and continued in production until
the 1999, Sintons who were a Quaker family owned linen mills in nearby
Laurelvale County Armagh, 
