Ards Peninsula
Encyclopedia
The Ards Peninsula is a peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....

 in County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

 which separates Strangford Lough
Strangford Lough
Strangford Lough, sometimes Strangford Loch, is a large sea loch or inlet in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is separated from the Irish Sea by the Ards Peninsula. The name Strangford is derived ; describing the fast-flowing narrows at its mouth...

 from the North Channel
North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)
The North Channel is the strait which separates eastern Northern Ireland from southwestern Scotland...

 of the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

, on Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

's northeast coast. A number of towns and villages are located on the peninsula, such as the seaside town of Donaghadee
Donaghadee
Donaghadee is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northeast coast of the Ards Peninsula, about east of Belfast and about six miles south east of Bangor. It had a population of 6,470 people in the 2001 Census...

, with the surrounding area known as the Ards district. Newtownards
Newtownards
Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...

, situated at the northern end of the peninsula, is the largest town in the area, while Portaferry
Portaferry
Portaferry is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula, near the Narrows at the entrance to Strangford Lough. It had a population of 2,467 people in the 2001 Census. It has an aquarium and is well-known for the annual Galway Hookers Regatta. It hosts...

 is at the southern end of the Peninsula. It is largely situated in the Borough of Ards.

History

The peninsula was once known as "The Ards", and was conquered by the Normans in the 12th century, with the Norman family Savage building a number of castles, and priories on the peninsula.

The Ards Peninsula was the site of a number of airfields built during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

: RAF Ballyhalbert
RAF Ballyhalbert
RAF Ballyhalbert was a Royal Air Force station at Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula, County Down. RAF Kirkistown was a satellite to the larger Ballyhalbert....

 and its satellite airfield, RAF Kirkistown
RAF Kirkistown
RAF Kirkistown was a satellite to the Royal Air Force base at Ballyhalbert on the Ards Peninsula in Northern Ireland. Kirkistown is approximately 8 km due south of Ballyhalbert.-History:...

. Both are now closed and the Kirkistown site is used as a car and motorcycle racing circuit.

Places of interest

  • Scrabo Tower
    Scrabo Tower
    Scrabo Tower is located to the west of Newtownards in County Down, Northern Ireland.The landmark, which is visible from most of north Down, was built on a volcanic plug above the town in 1857 as a memorial to Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry who was one of the Duke of Wellington's...

     overlooks Newtownards
    Newtownards
    Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...

     and the northern end of the Ards Peninsula. It is in a country park and was built in 1857 as a memorial to Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
    Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry
    Charles William Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry KG, GCB, GCH, PC , styled The Honourable Charles Stewart from 1789 until 1813 and The Honourable Sir Charles Stewart from 1813 to 1814 and known as The Lord Stewart from 1814 to 1822, was a British soldier, politician and nobleman...

    .
  • Mount Stewart
    Mount Stewart
    Mount Stewart is an 18th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the home of the Vane-Tempest-Stewart family, Marquesses of...

    , an 18th-century house and garden owned by the National Trust
    National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
    The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

     near Greyabbey
    Greyabbey
    Greyabbey or Grey Abbey is a small village and townland located on the eastern shores of Strangford Lough, on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies south of Newtownards. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,011 people...

    . It was the home of the Vane-Tempest-Stewart family, Marquesses of Londonderry
    Marquess of Londonderry
    Marquess of Londonderry is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented County Down in the Irish House of Commons. Stewart had already been created Baron Londonderry in 1789, Viscount Castlereagh in 1795 and Earl...

    .
  • Grey Abbey
    Grey Abbey
    Grey Abbey is a ruined Cistercian priory in the village of Greyabbey, County Down, Northern Ireland, currently maintained by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency...

    , a ruined Cistercian priory
    Priory
    A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...

    .

Settlements

Towns and villages of the Ards Peninsula include:
  • Newtownards
    Newtownards
    Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the largest town in the Borough of Ards. According to the 2001 Census, it has a population of 27,821 people in...

  • Portaferry
    Portaferry
    Portaferry is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula, near the Narrows at the entrance to Strangford Lough. It had a population of 2,467 people in the 2001 Census. It has an aquarium and is well-known for the annual Galway Hookers Regatta. It hosts...

  • Ballyhalbert
    Ballyhalbert
    Ballyhalbert is a small village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the east coast of the Ards Peninsula between Ballywalter and Portavogie. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 447 people...

  • Ballywalter
    Ballywalter
    Ballywalter is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the east coast of the Ards Peninsula between Donaghadee and Ballyhalbert...

  • Carrowdore
    Carrowdore
    Carrowdore is a small village on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies within the Borough of Ards. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 816.- Education :...

  • Cloghy
    Cloghy
    Cloghy or Cloughy is a small village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the east coast of the Ards Peninsula. It had a population of 752 people in the 2001 Census. It lies within the Borough of Ards.-Places of interest:...

  • Greyabbey
    Greyabbey
    Greyabbey or Grey Abbey is a small village and townland located on the eastern shores of Strangford Lough, on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies south of Newtownards. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,011 people...

  • Kircubbin
    Kircubbin, County Down
    Kircubbin is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the shores of Strangford Lough, between Newtownards and Portaferry. The population is roughly 2,000. The village harbour contains leisure craft, yachts, and a sailing club...

  • Portavogie
    Portavogie
    Portavogie is a village, townland and fishing port in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,594 people in the 2001 Census. It lies within the Borough of Ards and is the easternmost settlement in Ireland....


Archaeological sites

  • Ballyfounder Rath
    Ballyfounder Rath
    Ballyfounder Rath is the remains of a ringfort situated on the Ards Peninsula, in County Down, Northern Ireland. It consists of a circular mound about 20m in diameter, with traces of an outer bank and ditch...

  • Derry Churches
    Derry Churches
    Derry Churches are the remains of two small ruined churches near Portaferry, County Down, Northern Ireland, on the Ards Peninsula. The churches are 1.5 miles north-east of Portaferry, east of the A2 road to Cloghy , at grid ref: J613 524...

  • Grey Abbey
    Grey Abbey
    Grey Abbey is a ruined Cistercian priory in the village of Greyabbey, County Down, Northern Ireland, currently maintained by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency...

  • Kirkistown Castle
    Kirkistown Castle
    Kirkistown Castle is a castle situated near Cloghy, County Down, Northern Ireland. The tower house and bawn is a state care historic monument in the townland of Kirkistown, in Borough of Ards, at grid ref: J6450 5800....

  • Portaferry Castle
    Portaferry Castle
    Portaferry Castle is a small tower house in Portaferry, County Down, Northern Ireland, overlooking the harbour. It was built in the 16th century by William Le Savage...

  • White House, Ballyspurge
    White House, County Down
    The White House is a ruined 17th century dwelling house at Ballyspurge, near Cloghy, County Down, Northern Ireland on the Ards Peninsula. It is situated about one mile south-east of Cloghy, overlooking Slanes Bay...

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