Portumna Town History

Portumna (Irish: Port Omna - meaning 'the landing place of the oak') is a market town in the south-east of County Galway, Ireland, on the border with County Tipperary. The town is located on the northern shores of Lough Derg ﾖ the largest lake on the river Shannon. This historic crossing point over the River Shannon between counties Tipperary and Galway has a long history of bridges and ferry crossings. On the west side of the town is Portumna Castle and its forest park. In the latter years of the 19th century the 'Parsonstown and Portumna Bridge Railway Line' ran from the bridge at Portumna to Birr. Today the town has road connections with the neighbouring towns of Birr, Nenagh, Ballinasloe, Loughrea and Scarriff.