Portadown

Portadown (from Irish Port an Dúnáin 'landing place of the little fort' pronounced [pɔɾˠt̪ˠ ə ˈd̪ˠuːnˠaːnʲ]) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is based on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of about 32,000 at the 2021 Census. For some purposes, Portadown is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area", alongside Craigavon and Lurgan. Although Portadown was founded during the early 17th century English Plantation of Ulster, it was not until the Victorian era and the arrival of the railway that it developed as a major town. It earned the nickname "hub of the North" because it was a major railway junction; here the Great Northern Railway's line diverged for Belfast, Dublin, Armagh and Derry. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Portadown was also a major centre for the production of textiles (mainly linen). Portadown is the site of the long-running Drumcree dispute. Catholics have protested the yearly marches through a majority Catholic part of town by the Protestant Orange Order, who are celebrating the 1690 victory over King James II (a Catholic) by William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne. Often violence and protests have been sparked by this event. In the 1990s, the dispute escalated and the government responded with a massive security operation, drawing worldwide attention to Portadown.