Portadown

Portadown
Irish: *Port an Dúnáin*
Scots: *Portadoun^[1] or Portadoon^[2]*
Portadown Irish: Port an Dúnáin; Scots: Portadoun or Portadoon;
	St Mark's Church of Ireland in central Portadown
	Location within Northern Ireland
Population	32,926 (2021 estimate)
Irish grid reference	J008537
• Belfast	24 mi (39 km)
• Dublin	74 mi (119 km)
District	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon;
County	County Armagh;
Country	Northern Ireland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CRAIGAVON
Postcode district	BT62, BT63
Dialling code	028
Police	Northern Ireland
Fire	Northern Ireland
Ambulance	Northern Ireland
UK Parliament	Upper Bann;
NI Assembly	Upper Bann;
	List of places UK Northern Ireland Armagh 54°25′16″N 6°27′30″W / 54.421027°N 6.458244°W

Portadown (from Irish Port an Dúnáin 'landing place of the little fort' pronounced [pɔɾˠt̪ˠ ə ˈd̪ˠuːnˠaːnʲ])^[3]^[4] is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 24 mi (39 km)^[5] southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of about 22,000 at the 2011 Census. For some purposes, Portadown is treated as part of the "Craigavon Urban Area", alongside Craigavon and Lurgan.

Although Portadown can trace its origins to the early 17th century Plantation of Ulster, it was not until the Victorian era and the arrival of the railway that it became a major town. It earned the nickname "hub of the North" due to it being a major railway junction; where 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, over yearly marches by the Protestant Orange Order through the Catholic part of the town, which often sparked violence and protests. In the 1990s, the dispute escalated and prompted a massive security operation, drawing worldwide attention to Portadown.^[6]

^ "North-South Ministerial Council: 2005 Annual Report in Ulster Scots" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2011.
^ "History of Moira Station – NI Department of the Environment" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2011.
^ Room, Adrian. Placenames of the World. McFarland, 2006. p. 300
^ Mills, A D. A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.
^ "How Far Is It Between?". Free Map Tools. Retrieved 13 November 2011.
^ Mulholland, Dr. Peter (January 2010), Justice and Policing and Orange Parades: Towards a History of Orange Violence and Corruption in Northern Ireland, pp. 3–7.

[1] "North-South Ministerial Council: 2005 Annual Report in Ulster Scots" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2011.

[2] "History of Moira Station – NI Department of the Environment" (PDF). Retrieved 13 November 2011.

[3] Room, Adrian. Placenames of the World. McFarland, 2006. p. 300

[4] Mills, A D. A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.

[fmt-5] "How Far Is It Between?". Free Map Tools. Retrieved 13 November 2011.

[drumcree-6] Mulholland, Dr. Peter (January 2010), Justice and Policing and Orange Parades: Towards a History of Orange Violence and Corruption in Northern Ireland, pp. 3–7.

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