PORTADOWN  , a

market town of county Armagh, Ireland, on the river Bann and the Great Northern railway, 25 In . W.S.W. of Belfast . Pop . (1901), 10,092 . It is a junction of lines from Dublin, Clones and Omagh . The Bann, which is connected with the Newry Canal and falls into Lough Neagh 5 M. north of the town, is navigable for vessels of go tons burden . It is crossed at Portadown by a stone bridge of seven arches, originally built in 1764, but since then re-erected . The manufacture of linen and cotton is carried on, and there is a considerable trade in pork, grain and farm produce . In the reign of Charles I. the manor was bestowed on John Obyns, who erected a mansion and a few houses, which were the beginning of the town . A grain-market was established in 1780 . The town is governed by an urban district council .