Portadown Female

From Irish Port a’ Dúnáin, meaning ‘landing place of the little fort.  A town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast. It is in the Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of about 22,000 at the 2011 Census.

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).

Of its population, about 60% are from a Protestant background and 31% from a Catholic background. Portadown has been the site of the long-running Drumcree dispute. This is over yearly Orange marches through the Catholic part of town, which has often led to violence. In the 1990s, the dispute intensified and drew worldwide attention to Portadown.

Notable people from Portadown with a similar accent:

Leigh Alderson – ballet dancer, model, actor and choreographer

Gloria Hunniford – Northern Irish Radio and Television presenter

Paddy Johns – Irish Rugby Union player

Brendan McKenna – Irish Republican politician

(Wikipedia 2015)