Death of Tayto Park founder, Raymond Coyle
Raymond Coyle, the founder of Tayto Park and Largo Foods has died in his 70th year.
The award winning businessman, of Sydnham House, Tara, has been a major employer in Meath for the past four decades.
The Skryne resident started off in business, growing potatoes and vegetables on 15 acres of land at Curraha given to him by his father.
Today, Tayto Park is a major employer and tourist attraction with 750, 000 visitors annually before the pandemic. It employs 248 full time and up to 600 part time at the height of the season.
Ray and his wife, Roz have two children, son Charles who is currently involved in running Tayto Park and his daughter Natalya, an Irish Olympian who competes in the Modern Pentathlon.
Ray made a lot of money growing potatoes and as a result expanded to buy 800 acres. He then ran into difficulties with serious debt hanging over him, so decided to raffle the farm.
Long before Barney Curley ever came up with the idea, Ray Coyle raffled off the 800-acre farm after getting into trouble with bank repayments.
He raised €1.2million, enough to pay off the banks and in 1982 he set up Largo Foods, acquired Perri and Sam Spuz brands over the years and introduced the famous Hunky Dory brand.
He set up very successful factories in Donegal, the Czech Republic and Moldova and bought the Tayto brand in 2006.
He sold a 15 per cent stake in the crisp business in 2007 and his remaining 25 per cent stake in 2015 before stepping away from the business entirely in 2016.
He set up Tayto Park in Kilbrew, which opened in 2010.
The businessman spent millions building the park, and dug into his own pocket to the tune of €10 million to build its flagship wooden roller coaster. He had been continuing to expand the attraction - with new roller coasters currently under construction.
Ray Coyle won the Industry Category of the 2011 Ernst and Young Entrepeneur of the Year Awards which he received from President Mary McAleese and last year was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Meath Chronicle Business and Tourism Awards in the Newgrange Hotel, Navan.
Raymond died peacefully with his family in the care of the staff of the Mater Hospital. He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his devoted wife Rosamond, children Charles and Natalya, his brother John, sisters Jennifer and Charlotte and by his nieces and nephews Robert, Valerie, Stephen, Elaine, John, Aisling, Aoife, Fiona and his extended family and friends. Raymond will be fondly remembered by many.
Funeral arrangements later.