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Extra.ie
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Emerald Park giving away 'free tickets' but there's a catch
If you're making plans for the summer, or more specifically, the next few days, Emerald Park may have you covered! The popular theme park located in Ashbourne, Co Meath, has announced a surprise as part of its ongoing celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the iconic Cú Chulainn Coaster. The special 'birthday offer' runs from Monday, July 7 to Wednesday, July 9, but there's a catch! Pic: Emerald Park If you were planning on availing of the free tickets with your adult friends, you are flat out of luck, as Emerald Park is only offering one free kids' entry to the theme park and zoo per paying adult. However, if you want to be the best parent, sibling, aunt, uncle or cousin, the deal will be right up your alley. To avail of the exclusive offer, guests must pre-book the offer online from where full terms and conditions can be found. Meanwhile, Emerald Park is also giving away an eye-watering €10,000 as part of the celebrations. Since June 30, there have been daily cash giveaways, hidden golden envelopes, and a brand new on-ride video experience. Each day, there is a €1,000 cash prize to be won. Pic: Emerald Park All groups arriving before 1pm will be automatically entered into that day's €1,000 cash raffle, and a winner will be selected daily at 2pm through a live draw. Guests can search high and low from the shadows of the Cú Chulainn Coaster queue, to the trails near Lemur Woods, beside the towering Rotator ride, near the splash zone of the Viking Voyage, or close to the ever-popular Junior Zone.
The Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Major Irish theme park announce new ‘kids go free' promo for three days, perfect for family day out
A POPULAR Irish theme park has announced a new 'kids go free' initiative to celebrate a huge anniversary. If you're looking for a Advertisement 4 The park is hosting 10 days of celebrations with €1k cash given away each day to one guest Credit: HANDOUT PR IMAGE 4 The park has rides for all ages Credit: Stedman 4 Kids can now go free for three days with the purchase of an adult ticket Credit: PR Handout Emerald Park is now giving away free The exclusive midweek Birthday Offer is available for On Monday July 8, Tuesday July 9 and Wednesday July 10, every paying adult will receive one kids entry ticket completely free. This provides access to the Advertisement READ MORE IN TRAVEL A spokesperson for Emerald Park said: "Whether you want to be the world's best aunt or uncle, treat a sibling to a surprise day out, or just make unforgettable "With one FREE child's ticket for every paying adult, it's never been easier to share the fun." To get this exclusive offer, pre-book the offer online on The family run theme park and zoo is located just 20 minutes outside of Dublin in Ashbourne, Co Advertisement Most read in News Travel And that's not all that the park has been doing this summer. Since June 30, the park has been running a €10,000 giveaway. MAJOR GIVEAWAYS Every day until July 9, one visitor who is selected from guests who arrive by 1pm will win €1,000. The live draws take place at 2pm daily. Advertisement Visitors can also take part in the golden envelope hunt, with hints posted to the park's Instagram account every day. Ten envelopes are hidden throughout the park and If you find one, you may win prizes including annual memberships, family passes, and exclusive Emerald Park merchandise. The park is perfect for children of all ages, and even offer thrills for adults. Advertisement Little ones can enjoy the Junior Zone with 10 attractions along with playgrounds and the zoo. ACTIVITIES FOR ALL AGES The zoo is home to more than 250 animals including big cats, birds of prey and experiences such as Lemur Woods. You can also visit the petting farm to meet and interact with a range of farmyard animals. Older kids and adults can ride the Cú Chulainn Coaster, or take a splash on Ireland's only flume attraction, Viking Voyage. Advertisement Emerald Park also launched it's first immersive land, Tír na nÓg which includes Europe's longest intertwining family and thrill rollercoasters. 4 The park is perfect for children of all ages, and even offer thrills for adults Credit: Photocall Ireland
Sunday World
28-04-2025
- Business
- Sunday World
‘King of crisps' and Tayto Park founder Ray Coyle leaves €74m in will — and only son in charge
Hunky Dory | He died in June 2022 at the age of 70 and is survived by his wife Rosamund, son Charles and daughter Natalya Businessman Ray Coyle and Mr Tayto. Photo: Fran Caffrey Ray Coyle, who raffled off 280 acres of land in 1982 to pay back money owed to banks as his business struggled, left an estate valued at €73,219,649.63. He died in June 2022 at the age of 70 and is survived by his wife Rosamund, son Charles and daughter Natalya, with his fortune split equally between them. The will was confined to one page and written on December 1, 2020. Mr Coyle, with an address at Skryne, Tara, Co Meath, said he was 'revoking all wills, codicils and testamentary dispositions at any time heretofore made by me' and wanted to 'declare this to be my last will and testament'. He also left €50,000 each to his sister Charlotte Reid, his niece Valerie Reid, his nephew Robert Reid, sister Jennifer Coyle and his brother John. The remainder of his estate he gave 'equally' to his wife, son and his daughter, a professional athlete who represented Ireland three times in the modern pentathlon in the 2012, 2016 and 2021 Olympics. In capital letters, he stressed this was 'PROVIDED ALWAYS' that 'it is clearly understood' that his son should have majority voting rights in the family company. The 'golden share' gives his son veto power over changes to the company's charter. Coyle was best known for growing Largo Foods into an international snack-food business which included the Tayto, Hunky Dorys and King crisps brands. While Tayto wasn't his creation, after he bought the company in 2006 he was behind some of Ireland's most innovative promotions such as running Mr Tayto as a spoof candidate in the 2007 general election. In 2010 he turned 22 hectares of farmland near Ashbourne, Co Meath, into a theme park — Tayto Park. He pursued the idea even when the bank withdrew its support. The park went on to make a profit in its first year and become one of Ireland's top attractions. Ray Coyle in front of the Viking Voyage ride at Tayto Park. Photo: Frank McGrath One of four children, he grew up on a farm in Curragha, Co Meath. As a young man he began growing and selling potatoes and vegetables on six hectares of land his father had given him. By his 20s, he had a turnover of £1m a year and expanded the farm to more than 300 hectares. But he also faced financial struggles. In the early 1980s, when he lost a lucrative contract to supply potatoes to Tayto, he fell into huge debt, owing the bank £1.2m. Unable to pay off the loans — even by selling his farm — he made the decision to raffle off more than 100 hectares, selling 4,000 tickets at £300 a ticket. It made enough money to clear his debts. Realising Tayto had about 90pc of the Irish crisp market at the time, Coyle started his own snack-food business. In 1982, he set up Largo Foods and a year later he purchased the Perri crisp brand. In the 1990s he acquired the Sam Spudz brand and broke into the UK market, successfully launching Hunky Dorys. When C&C put Tayto up for sale, he won a bidding war against Michael Carey of East Coast Bakehouse, paying €62m for Tayto and King crisp brands. Carey, a long-standing friend, recalled: 'He phoned me two weeks later and said: 'You cost me €5m.' I apologised and he invited myself and my wife to dinner in his home.' Coyle later sold a 15pc stake in the business that owned the Tayto brand to German firm Intersnack in 2007 and his remaining 25pc stake in 2015, before stepping away from the business completely in late 2016. His family now runs the theme park, renamed Emerald Park in 2023, after its deal with the crisp brand came to an end. Charles works as the general manager.
