Newtownards
Newtownards is definitely a major town, townland and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It sits at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, around the Ards Peninsula. Newtownards is the most significant town in the Borough of Ards. In accordance with the 2001 Census, it provides a populace 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 history and nine percent from a Catholic background. It is referred to colloquially by locals as "Ards".