Newtownards

Newtownards is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) 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 11,502 households, placing it in the "large town" class. Approximately 86 percent of the population is from a Protestant and nine percent from a Catholic background. It is known colloquially by locals as "Ards".