Ireland: Tayto Park Founder Raymond Coyle Passes Away

The international leisure industry loses another icon – Raymond Coyle, founder of Ireland’s Tayto Park, died last Wednesday (June 8, 2022) surrounded by his family. He was 70 years old.

Coyle – who began his career as a small farmer growing potatoes – was instrumental in founding snack manufacturer Largo Foods (now a subsidiary of German group Intersnack Knabber-Gebäck GmbH) in 1982, based in Ashbourne (north of Dublin). The potato chips brand Tayto, which Coyle acquired in 2006 and sold in 2015, is also part of Largo Foods' product portfolio, which has been operating under the name of Tayto Snacks since 2019.

In 2010, Coyle opened the Tayto Park family park right next to the Tayto production site in Ashbourne, which most recently (before the start of the pandemic) attracted around 750,000 visitors p.a. and plans to welcome its guests under a new name from January 2023.

Coyle is survived by his wife Roz, son Charles (who runs the park) and daughter Natalya. The industry mourns the loss of a successful and dedicated family businessman. (eap)