Emerald Park (Irish: Páirc Smaragaide[citation needed]) (known from its 2010 opening to 2022 as Tayto Park) is a 22.26 ha (55 acres) amusement park and zoo located in the townland of Kilbrew, County Meath, Ireland. Upon opening, the park was themed around the Irish potato crisp brand Tayto (whose factory is adjacent to the park), and was originally conceptualised by Tayto’s then owner, farmer-turned-entrepreneur Raymond Coyle (d. 2022).[2][3]
| Previously known as Tayto Park (2010–2022) | |
  | |
| Location | Kilbrew / Curraha, near Ashbourne, County Meath, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°32′43″N 6°27′34″W / 53.545377°N 6.459375°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | 24 November 2010 |
| Attendance | 750,000 (2015) |
| Area | 55 acres (22 ha)[1] |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 21 |
| Roller coasters | 6 |
| Water rides | 1 |
| Website | https://emeraldpark.ie |
The park includes Ireland's only wooden roller coaster, a Maxi Dance Party 360, adventure playgrounds and an exotic zoo.[4][5]
History
editThe park opened on 24 November 2010. It was designed by Stewart and Sinnott Architects, landscaper Anthony Ryan and designer Milo Fitzgerald, with an €8.5 million investment from Ray Coyle, the potato farmer who established Largo Foods, and bought out the Tayto brand. The park developed 22 hectares of County Meath farmland into an American-style park.[4][5] It is the sixth most popular paid-for attraction in Ireland, with 750,000 visitors in 2015.[6] Visitors to the park also had the option to visit the factory on certain days.
During its early days, the park lacked rides and was much smaller, only containing the zoo area and playgrounds. Throughout the years, the park began to open rides beyond the zoo area and also became an full amusement park.
In February 2022, it was announced that the park, along with its elements would be rebranded in 2023 after Tayto Snacks confirmed they would not be renewing their sponsorship agreement.[7] On 29 September 2022, it was announced that the park would be renamed "Emerald Park" from 1 January 2023, with reference to Ireland's nickname of the "Emerald Isle."[8][9][10]
Attractions
editGeneral attractions
editEmerald Park has a range of attractions for a range of ages, including a playground and smaller play areas, a maze, a "5D cinema", zip lining, and arts and crafts, magic shows and face painting. There is also a circus tent.[11]
Theme park rides
editThe park previously operated on a system of zones and payment tokens, with a paid option for unlimited usage, but moved to an all-access model (subject to age limits for certain rides—younger visitors are limited to the general attractions and some simpler theme park machines).
| Name | Picture | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| The Cú Chulainn Coaster |  |
A 36m (105’)-tall wooden roller coaster, manufactured by The Gravity Group, opened on 6 June 2015.[12][13] |
| Na Fianna Force | No image available | Opened on 22nd of May 2024 as part of new land of Tír na nÓg, it is an STC manufactured by Vekoma. |
| The Quest (roller coaster) | No image available | Opened on May 22nd 2024 as part of new land of Tír na nÓg, its a Family boomerang manufactured by Vekoma. |
| The Celtic Dreamer | No image available | A Zierer Wave swinger |
| The Rotator |  |
An inverting, spinning Maxi Dance Party 360 (frisbee) by Italian company SBF Visa Group. Reaches 31m high (104’). Opened in 2014. |
| Air Race |  |
A Zamperla Air Race. Opened in 2015. |
| Viking Voyage |  |
A log flume by UK manufacturers Interlink. Contains 1.7mil litres of water with a 12m (40’) drop. Opened 16 June 2017.[14] |
| Endeavour |  |
A Zamperla Enterprise. One of two 48-person capacity models, where riders’ feet hang freely (similar to an inverted coaster); most models feature fully-enclosed, seated cars. Opened in 2016. |
| Flight School |  |
An 11m (36’)-tall Zierer steel family roller coaster (opened 18 May 2019). |
| Dino Dash | No Image Available | An 11.7m (38’)-tall steel Vekoma Junior Coaster (opened 9 April 2022). |
Junior Zone
editThe Junior Zone features a 10-metre high Junior Drop Tower (by Zamperla), a steam train ride,[15] a car driving experience manufactured by Nissan, a spinning roller coaster manufactured by Visa, a spinning boat non-water ride and a leaping ride manufactured by Zamperla.
The Zoo
editEmerald Park contains a zoo accredited with BIAZA and EAZA. It holds a diverse animal collection, with several conservation-dependent species. Access to the zoo is included in the entry to Emerald Park. The zoo, which has won awards, is committed to conservation education and research. The collection features animals including big cats, primates, exotic birds, rare breeds of farm animals as well as native Irish birds of prey. There are also three "visitor experiences": a "petting farm", the "World of Raptors" free-flying bird of prey display, and a "Lemur Walk" path through an enclosure.
Development plans
editA new themed area of the park called "Tír na nÓg" was opened on 22 May 2024, based on Celtic mythology. Plans for the area included two rollercoaster models from Vekoma, a Suspended Thrill Coaster and a Family Boomerang.[16]
Incidents
editA number of minor incidents have occurred within Emerald Park.
In June 2012, a former employee who was working as a tour guide broke her ankle after she went down a 60-foot slide. The slide was not open to the public at the time but she, along with other employees, were told to try it so that they could "get a feel of it". She sued Ashbourne Visitor Centre Ltd, trading as Tayto Park, as a result of the accident. She also sued Hags Aneby AB of Sweden and Spraoi Linn Ltd, the manufacturer and supplier of the slide respectively. The case was settled out of court. Following the accident, the ride was altered in relation to how steep it was and at the turns.[17][18]
In October 2016, a wooden staircase in one of the park's Halloween attractions, "House of Horrors" suddenly collapsed, injuring nine people.[19]
References
edit- ^ Donnelly, Margaret (1 July 2014). "Tayto Park among top 10 tourist attractions". Agriland.ie. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ^ "Meath: The Tayto name will be gone, but Ray Coyle vows he has no plans to sell his theme park". independent. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "Tayto Park founder Ray Coyle has died". independent. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ a b Casey, Ann (17 November 2010). "Opening of Tayto Park near Ashbourne brings 85 jobs". Meath Chronicle. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Cú Chulainn - Tayto Park (Ashbourne, Meath, Ireland)". rcdb.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ "Ireland's top visitor attractions revealed". Your Days Out. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
- ^ Gleeson, Colin. "Tayto Park to be renamed as facility seeks 'new identity'". Irish Times. Archived from the original on 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "Tayto Park to become Emerald Park from January". RTÉ News. 29 September 2022. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
- ^ Kent, David (29 September 2022). "Tayto Park to be renamed Emerald Park from January, owners confirm". Irish Mirror. Archived from the original on 24 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ McCarron, Jamie (29 September 2022). "Tayto Park to be renamed Emerald Park as 12-year long sponsorship deal ends". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
- ^ "Theme Park Attractions - Tayto Park". Tayto Park. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Cú Chulainn (Tayto Park)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
- ^ "Tayto Park to debut Europe's largest inverted wooden rollercoaster summer 2015". Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
- ^ "Tayto Park's insane new ride Viking Voyage is officially OPEN". Evoke.ie. 16 June 2017. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- ^ "Texan | Severn Lamb". severn-lamb.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ^ "Two new rollercoasters for Emerald Park due to open next Spring". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Woman who broke ankle on Tayto Park slide settles action". The Irish Times. 14 February 2017. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ "Concerns raised over rollercoaster regulations". RTE.ie. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
- ^ Hennessy, Michelle (23 October 2016). "Nine people injured after House of Horrors staircase collapse at Tayto Park". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.