Portadown

Portadown (from Irish: Port a' Dúnáin meaning "port of the small stronghold") is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles (37 km) south-west of Belfast. It is in the Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of about 22,000 at the 2001 Census.

Although Portadown can trace its origins to the early 17th century, it was not until the Victorian era and the arrival of the railway that it became a major town. Portadown is known as "the hub of the North", due to it being a major railway junction in the past; where the Great Northern Railway's line diverged for Belfast, Dublin, Armagh and Derry.

In the 1990s, Portadown was drawn to the attention of the world's media by the "Drumcree standoff". This is the latest part of a long-running dispute over parading that began in the 19th century and has led to numerous riots and deaths.