BANN, RIVER

Irish An Bhanna river, the largest in Northern Ireland, falling into two distinct parts. The upper Bann rises in the Mourne Mountains and flows northwest to Lough (lake) Neagh. The lower Bann flows northward through Lough Beg and carries the waters of Lough Neagh to the sea below Coleraine. The total length is 80 miles (129 km). The lower river occupies a peaty depression in the basalt plateaus of Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine, and Magherafelt districts. Upstream the waterpower from the river played an important part in the industrialization of the Ulster linen industry. The river has valuable salmon and eel fisheries, and its valley contains prehistoric remains of the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. The chief town on the upper Bann is Portadown, near Lough Neagh.