A number of flint tools found during the late 19th century show that the site of Portrush was occupied during the "Larnian" (late Irish Mesolithic) period;3 recent estimates date this to around 4000 BC.4
The site of Portrush, with its excellent natural defences, probably became a permanent settlement around the 12th or 13th century. A church is known to have existed on Ramore Head at this time, but no part of it now survives. From the records of the papal taxation of 1306, the Portrush church – and by extension the village – appears to have been reasonably wealthy. The promontory also held two castles, at varying periods. The first of these, Caisleán an Teenie, is believed to have been at the tip of Ramore Head, and probably destroyed in the late 16th century; the other, Portrush Castle, may have been built around the time of the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century. Nothing survives of either castle.5
Following the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in the mid-17th century, Portrush became a small fishing town. It grew substantially in the 19th century as a tourist destination, following the opening of the Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine and Portrush Junction Railway in 1855, and by the turn of the 20th century had become one of the major resort towns of Ireland, with a number of large hotels and boarding houses including the prominent Northern Counties Hotel. As well as the town's beaches and the Royal Portrush Golf Club (opened 1888), the nearby Giant's Causeway was a popular tourist destination, with the Giant's Causeway Tramway – at the time, one of the world's longest electrified railways – built in 1893 to cater to travellers coming from Portrush.6
The town's fortunes peaked in the late 19th and early 20th century, and declined after the Second World War with the growth of foreign travel. It escaped any involvement in the Troubles until 3 August 1976, when a series of bombings of properties burned out and destroyed several buildings, though with no loss of life.7 In a second attack in April 1987, two officers of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) were shot in the back by the Provisional Irish Republican Army while on foot patrol on Main Street.8
On Census day (21 March 2021) there were 6,150 people living in Portrush.9 Of these:
On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 6,454 people living in Portrush (2,824 households), accounting for 0.36% of the NI total.14 Of these:
Portrush has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).
Portrush hosts an annual air show at the beginning of September.25
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution raft race is am annual event in which contestants must build a raft that can take them from the West Strand beach into Portrush Harbour. The event has been featured on Northern Ireland news broadcasts on several years and is a great credit to the RNLI's popularity locally.26
The North West 200 is a motorcycle road race following the triangular route around Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush. Held every May, with events in various engine categories, it attracts crowds in excess of 150,000.27
The following schools are in Portrush:28
The Northern Ireland Milk Cup uses Parker Avenue in Portrush as one of the pitches for the tournament, and many teams stay within the town itself.29
The town also is also home to the Portrush Yacht Club, a popular stop for yachts travelling in from the Atlantic or to the western coast of Scotland. The yacht club runs an annual raft race to raise funds for the RNLI lifeboat in Portrush harbour.30
Portrush railway station was opened on 4 December 1855 and closed for goods traffic on 20 September 1954. The station is the last stop on the Coleraine-Portrush railway line, where travellers can connect with trains to Derry, Belfast and beyond.
Portrush is a busy seaside resort, with a frequent train service run by Northern Ireland Railways connecting with Ulsterbus services linking to Bushmills and the Giant's Causeway.31
RNLI lifeboats have operated out of Portrush Harbour since 1860, and currently stationed there are the Severn class William Gordon Burr and the D-class inshore vessel David Roulston.32
See also: Category:People from Portrush
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Price, T. Douglas (1987). "The Mesolithic of Western Europe". Journal of World Prehistory. 1 (3): 249. doi:10.1007/BF00975322. JSTOR 25800527. S2CID 162271625. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
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Melaugh, Dr Martin. "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1976". cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2018. http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch76.htm ↩
Melaugh, Dr Martin. "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1987". cain.ulst.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180207062946/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch87.htm ↩
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"Portrush (County Antrim) UK climate averages – Met Office". Met Office. Retrieved 4 July 2024. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcg60d3cz ↩
"Education at The Coastal Zone Portrush". UK: doeni.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20131020134752/http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/teachers_and_pupils/educational_places_to_visit/portrush-v1/the_coastal_zone_at_portrush.html ↩
"Open Championship to be staged at Royal Portrush in 2019". BBC Sport. 20 October 2015. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/34576139 ↩
Golf magazine, August 2019 ↩
"Portrush East Strand Sculpture: To the People of the Sea by Holger Lonze". www.peopleofthesea.info. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20130618113827/http://peopleofthesea.info/ ↩
"Agnelli* – The Lush! Mixes (CD) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 22 August 2014. http://www.discogs.com/release/279478 ↩
"Historic Barry's Amusements in Portrush goes on sale for development". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 June 2021. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/historic-barry-s-amusements-in-portrush-goes-on-sale-for-development-1.4558554 ↩
"Curry's Fun Park: when is the Portrush amusement park open and what are the rides". newsletter.co.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2023. https://www.newsletter.co.uk/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/currys-fun-park-when-is-the-portrush-amusement-park-open-and-what-are-the-rides-3706289 ↩
"Skerries Survey 2006" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20110724132532/http://seasearch.wisshost.net/downloads/skerries%20report.pdf ↩
"Town Hall Kerr Street Portrush Co. Antrim (HB03/10/001)". Department for Communities. Retrieved 18 June 2022. https://apps.communities-ni.gov.uk/Buildings/buildview.aspx?id=1113&js=false ↩
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""We are also delighted to announce that we will be supporting RAFT RACE 2025 and the planning has already begun."". NorthernIrelandWorld. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2025. https://www.northernirelandworld.com/news/people/portrush-yacht-club-announce-that-raft-race-2024-raised-ps14000-for-portrush-rnli-4772424 ↩
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Doward, Jamie (21 September 2014). "The real-life triumphs of the gay communist behind hit movie Pride". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/21/mark-ashton-gay-pride-film ↩