Ards Peninsula
{{Short description|Geographical area on the island of Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox peninsulas
|name = Ards Peninsula
|local_name ={{native name|ga|Aird Uladh}}
|image_name = Strangford Lough by Sentinel-2.jpg
|image_caption = Satellite image of the Ards Peninsula
|image_size = 255px
|image_alt =
|map_image=
|location = County Down, Northern Ireland
|coordinates = {{Coord|54|31|N|5|31|W|scale:10000000|display=inline,title}}
|highest_mount = Cairngaver
|elevation_m = 217
|country = Northern Ireland
|demonym =
|population =
|ethnic_groups =
}}
The Ards Peninsula ({{Irish derived place name|Aird Uladh|peninsula of the Ulstermen}}) is a peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the north-east coast of Ireland. It separates Strangford Lough from the North Channel of the Irish Sea. Towns and villages on the peninsula include Donaghadee, Millisle, Portavogie and Portaferry. The large towns of Newtownards and Bangor are at the mainland edge of the peninsula. Burr Point is the easternmost point on the island of Ireland.
History
{{further|Ards (territory)}}
In the Middle Ages, the Ards peninsula was inhabited by the Uí Echach Arda, a Gaelic Irish clan, and was part of the kingdom of Ulaid. In the late 12th century it was invaded and conquered by the Anglo-Normans under John de Courcy, becoming a county of the Earldom of Ulster. The Earldom collapsed in the 14th century, but the Hiberno-Norman Savage family controlled the southern portion of the peninsula (the 'Upper Ards' or 'Little Ards') over the following three centuries, while the northern portion (the 'Lower Ards' or 'Great Ards') became part of the Gaelic territory of Clannaboy. There was a failed attempt by the English to colonize the Ards in the 1570s. In the early 17th century, the Lower Ards was acquired by James Hamilton and Hugh Montgomery, who settled Scottish Protestants there as part of the Plantation of Ulster.
Places of interest
- Scrabo Tower overlooks Newtownards and the northern end of the Ards Peninsula.
- Mount Stewart, an 18th-century house and garden owned by the National Trust near Greyabbey. It was the home of the Vane-Tempest-Stewart family, Marquesses of Londonderry.
- Grey Abbey, a ruined Cistercian abbey.
- Kirkistown Circuit, Northern Ireland's only MSA-licensed permanent motorsport circuit.
- Portaferry located at the very tip of the Ards Peninsula, a coastal town with a number of scenic routes.
Settlements
Towns and villages of the Ards Peninsula include:
Archaeological sites
Climate
{{Weather box
|location = Lough Cowey (10m elevation) 1991–2020
|collapsed =
|metric first = y
|single line = y
|Jan high C = 8.5
|Feb high C = 8.8
|Mar high C = 10.1
|Apr high C = 12.1
|May high C = 14.8
|Jun high C = 17.1
|Jul high C = 18.9
|Aug high C = 18.6
|Sep high C = 16.9
|Oct high C = 13.9
|Nov high C = 10.9
|Dec high C = 9.1
|year high C = 13.3
|Jan low C = 3.1
|Feb low C = 3.1
|Mar low C = 3.9
|Apr low C = 5.1
|May low C = 7.4
|Jun low C = 9.8
|Jul low C = 11.7
|Aug low C = 11.7
|Sep low C = 10.5
|Oct low C = 8.1
|Nov low C = 5.4
|Dec low C = 3.7
|year low C = 7.0
|Jan rain mm = 78.5
|Feb rain mm = 60.1
|Mar rain mm = 56.1
|Apr rain mm = 53.8
|May rain mm = 55.4
|Jun rain mm = 62.9
|Jul rain mm = 66.9
|Aug rain mm = 79.2
|Sep rain mm = 65.5
|Oct rain mm = 87.1
|Nov rain mm = 93.5
|Dec rain mm = 81.2
|year rain mm =
|unit rain days= 1.0 mm
|Jan rain days = 13.1
|Feb rain days = 11.2
|Mar rain days = 10.5
|Apr rain days = 10.7
|May rain days = 11.4
|Jun rain days = 10.8
|Jul rain days = 11.9
|Aug rain days = 13.1
|Sep rain days = 10.7
|Oct rain days = 12.2
|Nov rain days = 14.1
|Dec rain days = 13.5
|year rain days =
| Jan sun = 54.7
| Feb sun = 79.1
| Mar sun = 117.9
| Apr sun = 168.7
| May sun = 204.6
| Jun sun = 169.7
| Jul sun = 170.3
| Aug sun = 164.0
| Sep sun = 135.7
| Oct sun = 101.4
| Nov sun = 67.0
| Dec sun = 49.4
| year sun =
|source 1 = metoffice.gov.uk{{cite web
| url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/gcsj9cz35
| title=Climate Normals 1981–2010
| publisher=Met Office
| access-date=25 February 2021}}
| date=25 February 2021
}}
References
{{Reflist|
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{{Commons category|Ards Peninsula}}
{{Peninsulas of Ireland}}
{{County Down}}
Category:Landforms of County Down