Portadown

Portadown (Port an D?n?in in Irish) is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It has a population of slightly under 30,000 which is roughly 2/3 Protestant and 1/3 Catholic. Portadown is situated on the River Bann, in the North of County Armagh. Although the town can trace its origins to at least the 17th Century it was not until the Victorian era, and the arrival of the railway that it became a major town.

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It was the site of an annual march in July by the Orange Order, from the Drumcree Church through the nationalist area of the Garvaghy Road, which residents claimed was provocative. The Orange Order refused to negotiate with a committee of residents, and in 1997, the Parades Commission banned the march indefinitely. It has been replaced by an annual protest over the ban. Portadown is a stronghold of the Loyalist Volunteer Force, a loyalist paramilitary group which split from the larger Ulster Volunteer Force over the latter's support for the Belfast Agreement, though the Ulster Volunteer Force also have a strong presence in the town.

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In the 2004 book "Crap Towns II: The 50 worst places to live in the United Kingdom" Portadown was placed at no.20, the second highest ranked in Northern Ireland after Belfast.

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:See also: List of towns in Northern Ireland

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Irish: Irish may refer to:...

County Armagh: County Armagh (Contae Ard Mhacha in Irish) is a county in Ulster, Ireland. It is one of six counties that remain under British jurisdiction as part of Northern Ireland. County Armagh is known by some as the Orchard of Ireland because the land is so fertile for apple-growing. Its main town is Armagh,...

Northern Ireland: :For an explanation of often confusing terms like Ulster, (Republic of) Ireland, (Great) Britain and United Kingdom see British Isles (terminology)....