Lurgan

Lurgan, market town and urban district in central Northern Ireland, located in a farming area 30 km (19 mi) southwest of Belfast. Lurgan's prosperity began with the introduction of linen manufacture in 1619. East of town stands the Brownlow House, originally the residence of the Lords Lurgan, which later became the headquarters of the Grand Black Chapter of the British Commonwealth, an order established in 1797 for the preservation of the Protestant religion. The Brownlow House was extensively damaged by an arsonist in 1996. Population (1991) 21,905.