Understand
[edit]- A fair Town, consisting of 42 Houses, all of which are inhabited with English Families, and the streets all paved clean through also to water Mills, and a Wind Mill, all for corn
- - William Brownlow, who laid out the town from 1610
The transport route from Belfast to Dublin swings southwest to avoid the Mourne Mountains, so the strip through Moira, Lurgan and Portadown became built-up and industrial from the 17th century. Lurgan was laid out by Brownlow as a "Plantation" settlement from 1610, with characteristic wide streets, and a market and linen trade. The settlers were Protestants, but employment also drew in Catholics moving off the land, especially during the famine years, so Lurgan became an "interface area". It also became part of the commuter-belt for Belfast when the railway arrived. In the late 20th century Lurgan was roiled by "The Troubles", driven as much by collapse of the textile trade as by sectarian differences. A nearby New Town of Craigavon never entirely got built but several of its modern features (such as bicycle paths) infiltrated Lurgan, and Ulster's first motorway arrived.
Get in
[edit]
By road follow M1 and exit at junction 10.
Trains run every 30 min from Bangor via Belfast (several stations) and Lisburn to Lurgan (50 min from Belfast) and Portadown. The Dublin-Belfast train doesn't stop here, change at Portadown.
1 Lurgan railway station 
is north of town centre along William St.
Goldliner Bus 251 runs hourly from Belfast to Lurgan (30 min), Portadown and Armagh. One or two per day continue across the border to Monaghan and Cavan Town.
Goldliner Bus 261 runs from Belfast to Lurgan, Dungannon and Enniskillen. It's hourly M-Sa and every two hours on Sunday.
Ulsterbus 551 runs hourly from Belfast via Lisburn and Moira to Lurgan, 65 min; it continues to Craigavon and Sprucefield Shopping Centre but doesn't reach Portadown.
Buses stop at Market Street in town centre, there isn't a bus station.
Get around
[edit]Lurgan has a good network of bitumen cycle paths which are in most cases separate to the road network, and link Lurgan to the National Cycle network. These paths also reach Lough Neagh, Craigavon Lake and Rushmere Shopping Centre.
Ulsterbus 46 / 47 shuttles between Lurgan, Craigavon and Portadown every 15 min.
Taxi firms are A1 Cabs (+44 28 3834 9349) and Sun (+44 28 3834 5275).
See
[edit]
- Market Street is very wide, typical for a Plantation-era main street. It's mostly undistinguished low-rise but spare a glance for the Italianate Town Hall, and Shankill Parish Church (Church of Ireland) at the top of the vista.
- 1 Brownlow House (Lurgan Castle), Windsor Ave, Lurgan BT67 9BJ, ☏ +44 28 3832 6049. Tea rooms Tu-Sa 10AM-3PM. Grand mansion built in 1833 with Scottish sandstone in sort-of-Elizabethan style. It's nowadays a venue for weddings and similar big events; they don't do tours but you can sip a stylish cuppa in the tea rooms.
- 2 Oxford Island in Lough Neagh became a peninsula when the water level was lowered in 1846. Much of the area is a National Nature Reserve. There are sometimes boat trips along the lough from the marina nearby at Kinnego.
- 3 Portmore Lough is another nature reserve, with RSPB bird hides.
Do
[edit]
- Lurgan Park a block east of High St was originally the grounds of Brownlow House. There's a lake with wildfowl, and the park paths are firm going for walkers, runners and cyclists.
- Golf: Lurgan GC is north end of the park. White tees 6311 yards, par 70.
- Silverwood GC is by the ski slope.
- Edenmore GC is five miles east.
- Football: Glenavon FC play soccer in the NIFL (Danske Bank) Premiership, the game's top tier in Northern Ireland. Their stadium is Mourneview Park (capacity 4160) by the hospital south side of town.
- 1 Craigavon Ski Centre is the improbable facility one mile north of town centre. It's a Dendex surface, all 100 yards of it, so it's really just for kiddy-wink beginners.
- Cinema: the Omniplex is east end of Craigavon, so it's only 3 miles from Lurgan.
Buy
[edit]
- Tesco in town centre is open M-Sa 7AM-11PM, Su 1-6PM. There's an ATM; they don't have fuel.
Eat
[edit]- Central eating places include Vibe, Courthouse Bar, Kitchen Lurgan, Palomo, Taste of Philly, Cookery Nook, Jireh, Raffles and Palm Tree.
Drink
[edit]- Bars include Railway Bar, Ashburn Hotel (see Sleep), The Batcave, Beehive, Fa' Joes wine bar, Cellar Bar, Vintage Bar, Master McGrath's and Reids.
- Ruby Blue Spirits is a microdistillery and gastropub in Moira, midway between Lurgan and Lisburn. They distil potato vodka and fruit liqueurs, tours are available.
Sleep
[edit]
- Ashburn Hotel, 81 William St, Lurgan BT66 6JB (100 yards south of station), ☏ +44 28 3832 5711. Comfy well-run hotel. Popular restaurant (serves daily noon-2:30PM, 5-9PM) and bar. B&B double £130.
- Brownlow Town House 100 yards east the station is available for self-catering.
- 1 Newforge House, 58 New Forge Rd, Magheralin BT67 0QL, ☏ +44 28 9261 1255, [email protected]. Excellent upscale hotel in Georgian mansion, open Feb - mid-Dec. No dogs. B&B double £200.
- Or try Portadown or even Belfast. it's so close.
Connect
[edit]To call a number in Northern Ireland from the Republic, use area code 048 with no country code. The +44 28 versions given above also work but incur international rates.
As of June 2025, Lurgan and its approach roads have 4G from EE, Three and Vodafone, and 5G from O2.
Go next
[edit]- Armagh has long been the ecclesiastic capital of Ireland, with two cathedrals, and a prehistoric "fort" that was more likely a religious centre.
- Hillsborough is the grand castle, gardens and symbol of power a few miles outside Lisburn.
| Routes through Lurgan |
| Dungannon ← | W  E
|
→ Lisburn → Belfast |
| Armagh ← Portadown ← | SW  NE
|
→ Lisburn |