Editing Newtownards

{{Short description|Town in County Down, Northern Ireland}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Newtownards 
| irish_name = Baile Nua na hArda<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.logainm.ie/?text=newtownards&placeID=65685|title=Bunachar Logainmneacha na hÉireann|website=Logainm.ie|access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref>
| scots_name = Newton<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/ballycopelandwindmillus.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425000835/http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/ballycopelandwindmillus.pdf |archive-date=2011-04-25 |url-status=live|title=Home &#124; Department of the Environment|website=Doeni.gov.uk|access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref> or Newtonairds<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/nsmc_annual_report_2002_-_ulster-scots_version_(pdf_837kb)-2.pdf|title=North-South Ministerial Council: 2002 Annual Report in Ulster Scots|website=Northsouthministerialcouncil.org|access-date=15 September 2016|archive-date=29 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829113640/http://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/nsmc_annual_report_2002_-_ulster-scots_version_%28pdf_837kb%29-2.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| static_image_name = CIMG1481 ScraboViewNewtownardsTown.JPG
| static_image_caption = View of Newtownards from [[Scrabo Tower]]
| map_type = Northern Ireland
| coordinates = {{coord|54.591|-5.68|display=inline,title}}
| population = 29,677
| population_ref = ([[2011 United Kingdom census|2021 Census]])
| irish_grid_reference = 
| unitary_northern_ireland = [[Ards and North Down Borough Council|Ards and North Down]]
| country = Northern Ireland
|historic_county=
|post_town = NEWTOWNARDS
| postcode_area = BT
| postcode_district = BT22, BT23
| dial_code = 028
| constituency_westminster = [[Strangford (UK Parliament constituency)|Strangford]]
| constituency_ni_assembly = [[Strangford (Assembly constituency)|Strangford]]
| lieutenancy_northern_ireland = [[County Down]]
| website = 
| local_name = Ards
| belfast_distance_mi = 9
}}

'''Newtownards''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|n|juː|t|n̩|ˈ|ɑːr|d|z}}; {{Langx|ga|Baile Nua na hArda<ref name="auto"/>}}) is a town in [[County Down]], Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of [[Strangford Lough]], 10&nbsp;miles (16&nbsp;km) east of [[Belfast]], on the [[Ards Peninsula]]. It is in the [[Civil parishes in Ireland|civil parish]] of [[Newtownards (civil parish)|Newtownards]] and the historic [[Barony (Ireland)|baronies]] of [[Ards Lower]] and [[Castlereagh Lower]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Newtownards|url=http://www.thecore.com/seanruad/|website=IreAtlas Townlands Database|access-date=16 May 2015}}</ref> Newtownards is in the [[Ards and North Down Borough Council|Ards and North Down Borough]]. The population was 29,677 in the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 Census]].<ref name="2021 pop"/>

==History==

===Irish settlement===
In 540 AD, [[Finnian of Moville|St. Finian]] founded [[Movilla Abbey]], a [[monastery]], on a hill overlooking [[Strangford Lough]] about a mile northeast of present-day Newtownards town centre. "Movilla" (''Magh Bhile'') means "the plain of the sacred tree" in [[Irish language|Irish]], which suggests that the land had previously been a sacred [[Celtic paganism|pagan]] site. It became a significant Christian settlement – a centre for worship, study, mission and commercial trade, well known throughout Ireland. It was sacked by the [[Vikings]] sometime after AD 824, though survived for a thousand years as a monastic settlement (becoming part of the [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] Order in 1135), until the [[dissolution of the monasteries]] in 1542.<ref>{{cite web|title=Movilla Abbey|url=http://www.irishstones.org/place.aspx?p=1076|website=Irish Stones|accessdate=8 July 2017}}</ref>

The [[Normans in Ireland|Normans]] conquered east Ulster in the 1170s, founding the [[Earldom of Ulster]]. Around 1226, they established a new town around Movilla, which became known as the "New Town of Blathewic", after the Irish territory of [[Blathewyc|Uí Blathmhaic]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Newtownards, Co Down |url=http://www.placenamesni.org/resultdetails.php?entry=6802 |publisher=Place Names NI}}</ref> A [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] priory was built in 1244 by [[Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster|Walter de Burgh]]<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Newtownards |volume=19 |page=594}}</ref> and was also dissolved in 1542.<ref name="Thompson09">{{cite web|last1=Thompson|first1=Mark|title=Newtownards Priory – one of the great Ulster-Scots churches|url=http://clydesburn.blogspot.com/2009/02/newtownards-priory-one-of-great-ulster.html|website=clydesburn.blogspot.com (blog)|access-date=15 September 2016|date=2 February 2009}}</ref>

In 1572, both monasteries were burned by the [[Clannaboy]] [[O'Neill dynasty#O'Neills of Clanaboy|O'Neills]] under Sir [[Brian McPhelim O'Neill]] to deny buildings to the English, who were attempting to [[Plantations of Ireland#East Ulster|colonize the Ards]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Newtownards Priory|url=http://ulsterscotstrail.com/newtownards/newtownards-priory|website=Ulster Scots Heritage Trail|access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref><ref name="Thompson09"/> After this the urban settlement at Movilla disappeared and the area around it became known as "Ballylisnevin" ("the town of Nevin's fort").<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e3r-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT139|title=That Place We Call Home: A Journey Through the Place Names of Ireland|first=John|last= Creedon |year= 2020|publisher=Gill Books|isbn=978-0717189861}}</ref>

===The Scottish town===
[[File:Newtownards Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 466808.jpg|thumb|280px|[[Market House, Newtownards]]]]
In 1605 (prior to the official [[Plantation of Ulster]] in 1610), [[Hugh Montgomery, 1st Viscount of the Great Ardes|Hugh Montgomery]] was granted the lands and set about rebuilding what was by then known as ''Newtown'', later expanded to ''Newtownards''. Official records show the town was established in 1606. Montgomery built a residence in the ruins of the old priory, the tower of which remains. Scottish Protestant settlers, particularly from [[Ayr]], and to a lesser extent [[Irvine, North Ayrshire|Irvine]], in [[Ayrshire]], arrived in large numbers and the town grew quickly.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Plantation of Ulster|last=Bardon|first=Jonathan|publisher=Gill Books|location=Dublin|date=2012}}</ref>

Due to the shallow mud of Strangford Lough, Newtown never developed as a port, with goods instead transported from the nearby town of [[Donaghadee]] on the [[Irish Sea]] coast of the Ards Peninsula. Instead, it became a market town, with the [[Market House, Newtownards|Market House]] in Conway Square constructed in 1771.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC27HPQ_newtownards-historical-series-9-the-market-house?guid=92e77800-b15f-47eb-9a76-b1b9ac4107d9|publisher= Newtownards Historical Series |title=The Market House|accessdate=21 April 2020}}</ref>

===United Irishmen rebellion===

North Down and the Ards were briefly held by [[Society of United Irishmen|United Irish]] insurgents in the [[Irish Rebellion of 1798]]. On the morning of 9 June, "Pike Sunday", United Irishmen, mainly from [[Bangor, County Down|Bangor]], [[Donaghadee]], [[Greyabbey]] and [[Ballywalter]], under the command of the Presbyterian licentiate (later American diplomat) [[David Bailie Warden]], marched on the town. They were driven off with [[musket]] fire from the Market House, but the garrison, consisting of troops from the [[Fencibles#Irish Rebellion of 1798|York Fencible Regiment of Foot]] subsequently withdrew, allowing the rebels to establish a French revolutionary-style [[Committee of Public Safety]]. The "Republic" in Newtownards did not survive the rout two days later of [[Battle of Ballynahinch|the main rebel force at Ballynahinch]].<ref>[[ATQ Stewart|Stewart, A.T.Q.]] (1995), ''The Summer Soldiers: The 1798 Rebellion in Antrim and Down'' Belfast, Blackstaff Press, 1995,{{ISBN|9780856405587}}.</ref>

===The Great Famine===
During the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]], which resulted from the dependence of small tenants and cottiers on a blighted potato crop, the largest local landowner, [[Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry|Lord Londonderry]], rejected rent reductions on grounds of "personal inconvenience". By 1847 the 800 inhabitants of the town were witness to "emaciated and half-famished souls" queuing at soup kitchens and overflowing the newly built [[workhouse]]. Despite Lord Londonderry's objection, with the upgrading of the road to Donaghadee several public works programs for famine relief were instigated. In general, conditions on the land, not as acutely subdivided as in western districts of Ireland, and the availability of weaving and other employments, saved the town from the worst.<ref>{{cite news |title=Irish Famine: How Ulster was devastated by its impact |publisher=BBC News |date=26 September 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34369080 |access-date=18 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="McCavery">{{cite book |last1=McCavery |first1=Trevor |title=Newtown: a History of Newtownards |date=1994 |publisher=Gatefold Paperback |isbn=978187013246-6}}</ref>

===Victorian growth===
The early 19th century saw the reclamation of the marshlands south of the town. At the same time, its growth was accelerated by integration into the Belfast and Lagan Valley industrial region and market. The [[Belfast and County Down Railway]] connected Newtownards to [[Belfast]], via [[Comber]] and [[Dundonald, County Down|Dundonald]], in 1850, and to Donaghadee in 1861. By the same year, the town's population had risen to 9,500. (This rail line was closed in 1950.) On 12 July 1867, despite the [[Party Processions Act]]s, the [[Orange Institution|Orange Order]] paraded from Bangor to Newtownards. The parade was organised by [[William Johnston (Irish politician)|William Johnston]] (sentenced to a short term in prison the next year for his actions) and about 30,000 took part.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parades and Marches – Chronology 2: Historical Dates and Events|work=Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/issues/parade/chpa2.htm|access-date=28 January 2010}}</ref>

As the nineteenth century progressed the economy became increasingly tied to the growing city of Belfast and the town continued to prosper and by the 20th century had increasingly become a [[commuter]] town. Newtownards' population reached 13,100 in 1961 and had doubled to 28,000 by 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/2017%20Mid-year%20Population%20Estimates%20for%20District%20Electoral%20Areas%20-%20statistical%20bulletin.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723174559/https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/2017%20Mid-year%20Population%20Estimates%20for%20District%20Electoral%20Areas%20-%20statistical%20bulletin.pdf |archive-date=2019-07-23 |url-status=live|title=2017 Mid-year Population Estimates for District Electoral Areas|page=23|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency|access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>

===The Troubles===
During [[the Troubles]], Newtownards was the scene of a [[car bomb]] attack on 5 July 1993, when Roma's Bar in Regent Street was targeted. The pub was destroyed, but has since been rebuilt. The attack was carried out by the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (PIRA) with a 700&nbsp;kg (1,500&nbsp;lb) device.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch93.htm#Jul|title=CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1993|website=Cain.ulst.ac.uk|access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref> There were no fatalities. Police said the 10-minute warning, telephoned to a local radio station, was "totally inadequate." The warning said the bomb contained 1,500 pounds of explosives.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://journaltimes.com/news/national/ira-car-bomb-injures/article_56529e20-09d3-5675-aed8-8cd74c852494.html|title=IRA car bomb injures 17|website=Journaltimes.com|access-date=2 January 2018}}</ref>

===Recent times===
On 1 November 2021, a bus in the town was hijacked and set on fire by two masked assailants allegedly protesting the [[Northern Ireland Protocol]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-11-01|title=Newtownards: Bus hijacked by masked men and set on fire|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-59117071|access-date=2021-11-02}}</ref>

==Places of interest==
[[File:CIMG1475 ScraboAndNewtownards.JPG|right|thumb|280px|[[Scrabo Tower]] (with Newtownards in the background)]]

===Scrabo Tower===
{{Main article|Scrabo Tower}}
The town of Newtownards is overlooked by the {{convert|100|ft|m|adj=on}} high [[Scrabo Tower]]. The tower is 41&nbsp;metres high, and was erected on Scrabo Hill as a memorial to [[Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry]] in 1857. Those loyal to the Stewart family suggested the inspiration lay in the gratitude of his tenantry for his solicitude during the famine. Given the popular criticism the Marquess in those years, this seems doubtful. In 1847 he and his wife made contributions of £20 and £10 to their local relief committees. The following year they expended £15,000 renovating their home in [[Mount Stewart]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kineally |first1=Christine |title=Charity and the Great Hunger in Ireland: The Kindness of Strangers |date=2013 |publisher=Bloomsbury |location=London |page=53 |isbn=978-1441117588 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GnksAQAAQBAJ |access-date=19 January 2021}}</ref> Only 450 subscribers were connected to the estate on which there were 1,200 tenants farmers and many associated employees. Two-thirds of the cost was met by 98 subscribers (on a list headed by Emperor [[Napoleon III]] of France), most of whom were fellow gentry.<ref>McCavery, pp. 140–141</ref>

The Scottish baronial-style tower is open to the public and houses a historical and local environment exhibition. The basalt-topped sandstone hill at Scrabo is one of the dominant features of north [[County Down|Down]]. The tower now stands in Scrabo Country Park with its woodland walks and parkland through Killynether Wood.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Scrabo Country Park – Historic Sites, Houses, Castles & Buildings in Newtownards, Newtownards – Discover Northern Ireland|url=https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/scrabo-country-park-p715621|access-date=2020-07-25|website=discovernorthernireland.com}}</ref>

===Movilla Abbey===
The ancient ruins of [[Movilla Abbey]], monastic settlement are situated within the grounds of Movilla Cemetery. Nothing visible remains today of [[Finnian of Movilla|Finnian]]'s original Celtic Abbey, but the 15th Century Augustinian ruins still stand, and are worth seeing. They are a part of the St Patrick's Trail Tourist Route<ref>{{cite web|url=https://discovernorthernireland.com/about-northern-ireland/saint-patrick/saint-patricks-trail|title=Saint Patrick's Trail|website=discovernorthernireland.com|access-date=2 January 2018}}</ref>

===Somme Heritage Centre===
The [[Somme Heritage Centre]], which is situated a little north of the town, is the Somme Association's flagship project. Situated adjacent to the [[Clandeboye Estate]] outside Newtownards, the centre is a unique visitor attraction of international significance showing the reality of the [[First World War|Great War]] and its effects on the community at home. The centre commemorates the involvement of the [[36th (Ulster) Division|36th (Ulster)]] and [[16th (Irish) Division|16th (Irish)]] divisions in the [[Battle of the Somme]], the [[10th (Irish) Division]] in [[Gallipoli]], [[Salonika]] and [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]], and provides displays and information on the entire Irish contribution to the First World War.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sommeassociation.com/|title=The Somme Association|access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>

===Mount Stewart===
On the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside Newtownards and near [[Greyabbey]], stands [[Mount Stewart]], an 18th-century house and garden – the home of the [[Marquess of Londonderry|Londonderry family]]. The house and its contents reflect the history of the Londonderrys who played a leading role in British social and political life. The ninety-eight acre garden at [[Mount Stewart]] has been proposed as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mount Stewart's world-class gardens|url=http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mount-stewart/features/mount-stewarts-world-class-gardens|website=National Trust|access-date=10 September 2016}}</ref>

==Demography==
{{Historical populations|state=collapsed
|1821|3332
|1831|4442
|1841|6721
|1851|9566
|1861|9542
|1871|9562
|1881|8676
|1891|9197
|1901|9110
|1911|9587
|1926|10149
|1937|19546
|1951|12243
|1961|13083
|1966|12929
|1971|15484
|1981|20531
|1991|24301
|2001|27821
|2011|28050
|2021|29677
|footnote=<ref name="2021 pop">{{cite web |title=Settlement 2015 |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000040 |website=NISRA |access-date=18 August 2023}}</ref><ref name=Census2011>{{cite web | url = https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/AreaProfileReportViewer.aspx?FromAPAddressMulipleRecords=Newtownards@Exact%20match%20of%20location%20name:%20@Exact%20Match%20Of%20Location%20Name:%20%20Newtownards@23? | title = Census 2011 Population Statistics for Newtownards Settlement | publisher = [[Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency]] (NISRA) | access-date = 13 August 2019}} [[File:UKOpenGovernmentLicence.svg|30px]] This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under the [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.</ref><ref name=Census2001>{{cite web | url = https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/PivotGrid.aspx?ds=4840&lh=69&yn=2001&sk=135&sn=Census%202001&yearfilter=2001 | title = Census 2001 Usually Resident Population: KS01 (Settlements) – Table view | page = 5 | publisher = [[Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency]] (NISRA) | access-date = 13 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.histpop.org|title=Histpop – The Online Historical Population Reports Website|website=Histpop.org|access-date=15 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507023856/http://www.histpop.org/|archive-date=7 May 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>For post 1821 figures, 1813 estimate from Mason's Statistical Survey For a discussion on the accuracy of [[Great Famine (Ireland)|pre-famine]] census returns see [[J. J. Lee (historian)|J. J. Lee]] "On the accuracy of the pre-famine Irish censuses Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p.54, in and also New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850 by Joel Mokyr and [[Cormac Ó Gráda]] in ''The Economic History Review, New Series'', Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov 1984), pp. 473–88.</ref>}}

===2021 Census===
On Census Day (21 March 2021) the usually resident population of Newtownards was 29,677.<ref name="2021 pop"/> Of these:
* 8.70% belong to or were brought up Catholic Christian and 70.97% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and other (non-Catholic) Christian (including Christian related)'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Religion or religion brought up in |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=RELIGION_BELONG_TO_OR_BROUGHT_UP_IN_DVO&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000040 |website=NISRA |access-date=18 August 2023}}</ref>
* 72.17% indicated that they had a British national identity,<ref>{{cite web |title=National Identity (British) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_BRITISH&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000040 |website=NISRA |access-date=18 August 2023}}</ref> 5.91% had an Irish national identity<ref>{{cite web |title=National Identity (Irish) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_IRISH_AGG3&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000040 |website=NISRA |access-date=18 August 2023}}</ref> and 39.29% had a Northern Irish national identity.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Identity (Northern Irish) |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=SETTLEMENT15&v=NAT_ID_NORTHERN_IRISH_AGG3&%7ESETTLEMENT15=N11000040 |website=NISRA |access-date=18 August 2023}}</ref> Respondents could indicate more than one national identity

===2011 Census===
On Census Day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Newtownards was 28,050 accounting for 1.55% of the NI total.<ref name=Census2011/> Of these:
* 98.67% were from the white (including Irish Traveller) ethnic group.
* 8.32% belong to or were brought up Catholic Christian and 79.35% belong to or were brought up in a 'Protestant and other (non-Catholic) Christian (including Christian related)'.
* 76.37% indicated that they had a British national identity, 4.86% had an Irish national identity and 31.39% had a Northern Irish national identity. Respondents could indicate more than one national identity

==Sport==
;Rugby
[[Ards RFC|Ards Rugby Football Club]] plays at Lansdowne Road, south of the town along the main Comber road.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/news/ards-rugby-club-to-redevelop-grounds-with-social-enterprise-fund-loan-31262057.html|title=Ards rugby club to redevelop grounds with social enterprise fund loan|date=28 May 2015|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph|access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>

;Cricket
Ards and Donaghadee Cricket Club currently plays its home games take place at Londonderry Park, which is on Portaferry Road.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newtownardschronicle.co.uk/ards-and-donaghadee-cricket-clubs-merge/|title=Ards and Donaghadee cricket clubs merge|date=18 February 2022|newspaper=The Newtownards Chronicle| access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>

;Football
There are two local football teams: [[Ards F.C.]], who play in the [[Northern Ireland Football League|NIFL]]'s Danske Bank Premiership, and [[Ards Rangers F.C.]], who play in the [[Northern Amateur Football League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenafl.co.uk/teams/id/3|title=Ards Rangers|publisher=Northern Amateur Football League | access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>

;Ards motor racing Circuit
{{main|Ards Circuit}}
The Ards Circuit through Newtownards was a motorsport [[street circuit]] used for [[RAC Tourist Trophy]] sports car races from 1928 until 1936. At the time it was Northern Ireland's premier sporting event, regularly attracting crowds in excess of a quarter of a million people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/838/the-tourist-trophy-races|title=The Tourist Trophy Races|last=Ireland|first=Culture Northern|date=2005-12-23|website=Culture Northern Ireland|access-date=2019-02-03}}</ref>

On 5 September 1936, in appallingly wet conditions, local driver Jack Chambers lost control of his [[Riley (motor-car)|Riley]] approaching the Strangford Arms in Newtownards at the Newtownards rail bridge and crashed into the crowd, killing eight spectators. This tragedy brought an end to nine years of racing over the Ards street circuit.<ref name="BBC Article">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7567063.stm |title=Memorial revives Ards TT memories |access-date=5 January 2009 |publisher=BBC | date=18 August 2008}}</ref>
<!-- From 1928 to 1936, the [[RAC Tourist Trophy]] (TT) motor car races took place on a (closed) road circuit encompassing Newtownards, [[Comber]] and [[Dundonald, County Down|Dundonald]] in County Down, run in a clockwise direction. The pits were still visible up until the 1960s. Industrialist and pioneer of the modern [[agricultural tractor]], [[Harry Ferguson]], was instrumental in setting up the race, which was known as the Ards TT.
At the time it was Northern Ireland's premier sporting event, regularly attracting crowds in excess of a quarter of a million people.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}} Although it was a speed event, the entries were handicapped to allow cars of very different sizes and capabilities to race against each other on supposedly even terms over 30 laps (35 laps from 1933) of the 13.7-mile circuit. On 5 September 1936, in wet conditions, local driver Jack Chambers lost control of his [[Riley (motor-car)|Riley]] beneath the railway bridge coming into Newtownards, and crashed into the crowd killing eight spectators. This tragedy brought an end to nine years of racing over the Ards road circuit.<ref name="BBC Article">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7567063.stm|title=Memorial revives Ards TT memories|access-date=5 January 2009|publisher=BBC|date=18 August 2008|location=London, UK}}</ref>  -->

==Notable natives/residents==
{{See also|Category:People from Newtownards}}
* [[Christine Bleakley]], television presenter known for her work on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], was raised in Newtownards<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DzqtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT72|title=Presenting Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley: The True Story of the Hottest Team on Television|first= Henry |last=Lightfoot|year=2011|publisher=John Blake|isbn=978-1843584391}}</ref>
* [[Harry Cavan]], senior VP of FIFA (1980–90), and president of the Irish Football Association from 1958 to 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/cavan-harry-henry-hartrick-a9776|title=Cavan, Harry (Henry Hartrick)|publisher=Dictionary of Irish Biography|access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>
*Sir [[Robert Colville (Irish MP)|Robert Colville]] (died 1697), politician and landowner, owned much property in and near Newtownards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dib.ie/biography/colville-sir-robert-a1894|title=Colville, Sir Robert| publisher=Dictionary of Irish Biography|access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>
* [[Jason Dunkerley]], [[Canadians|Canadian]] five-time [[paralympic]] medalist, was born and raised in Newtownards. His family emigrated to Canada when he was 14.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jasondunkerley.wordpress.com/about|title=About &#124; WinningTrack|website=Jasondunkerley.wordpress.com|date=30 December 2010 |access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref>
* [[Nick Earls]], a novelist born in 1963 in the area; he later moved to [[Brisbane, Queensland|Brisbane, Australia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pwf.cz/rubriky/nick-earls_1201.html|title=Nick Earls|publisher=Prague Writers' Festival| access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>
* [[Celia de Fréine]], dramatist and poet, was born in the town in 1948 before later moving to [[Dublin]] and [[Galway]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xAxaAAAAMAAJ|title=Jumping the Bus Queue: The Older Women's Network Poetry Collection|first=Mary Rose |last=Callaghan|year=2000|page=35|publisher=Older Women's Network|isbn=978-1900578165}}</ref>
* [[Eddie Irvine]], racing driver and runner-up in the [[1999 Formula One World Championship]] for [[Scuderia Ferrari|Ferrari]], was born and lived in Conlig, near Newtownards.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/motor-sport/formula1/eddie-irvine-formula-1-is-now-embarrassing-29847974.html|title=Eddie Irvine: Formula 1 is now embarrassing|date=18 December 2013|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph| access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>
* [[William Jackson (journalist)|William Jackson]] (1737–1795), political journalist, secret contact between the [[Society of United Irishmen|United Irishmen]] and the [[French First Republic|French Republic]].
* [[Martyn Irvine]], former World Cycling Champion and two-time silver medalist, is from the town.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/cycling/martyn-irvine-retires-from-competitive-cycling-to-take-up-new-role-36280206.html|title=Martyn Irvine retires from competitive cycling to take up new role|date=1 November 2017|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph| access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>
* [[Steven Kane]], racing driver
* [[Michael Legge (comedian)|Michael Legge]], stand-up comedian, was born and raised in the town.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/legge-gets-helping-hand-with-some-alternative-comic-moments-29884863.html|title=Legge gets helping hand with some alternative comic moments|date=3 January 2014| newspaper=Belfast Telegraph| access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>
*[[Alex Lightbody]], former Northern Ireland, Irish and British open lawn bowls singles champion<ref>{{cite web|title=Singles Winners |work=British Isles Bowls Council|url=http://britishislesbowls.com/previous-winners/singles-winners|access-date=12 March 2023}}</ref>
* [[Paddy Mayne|Robert Blair "Paddy" Mayne]], [[Special Air Service|SAS]] co-founder, was born and lived in Newtownards and attended [[Regent House Grammar School]]. A bronze statue of him stands outside the town hall. He played rugby for [[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]] and for the [[British and Irish Lions|Lions]] in the [[1938 British Lions tour to South Africa]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lt Col. Robert Blair 'Paddy' Mayne DSO Freemason|url=http://www.irishmasonichistory.com/lt-col-robert-blair-paddy-mayne-dso-freemason.html|website=Irish Masonic History and the Jewels of Irish Freemasonry|access-date=15 September 2016}}</ref>
* [[Barry McClements]], Commonwealth Games para swimming medallist<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/health/co-down-teenager-barry-mcclements-11098644|title=Co Down teenager Barry McClements chasing Paralympic glory after "never letting his disability hold him back"|date=26 March 2016|newspaper=Belfast Live|  access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>
* [[Rhys McClenaghan]], Irish international gymnast, 2020 Tokyo Olympic pommel horse finalist, 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist, was born and lives in Newtownards.<ref>{{cite news |title=Commonwealth Games: NI secretary calls for ban on gymnasts to be lifted |publisher=BBC News |date=31 May 2022 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-61637189 |access-date=31 May 2022}}</ref>
* [[Colin Nixon]], former football player who managed [[Ards F.C.|Ards]], is from Newtownards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/billy-on-the-box/billy-weir-colin-nixons-dismissal-from-ards-was-a-classless-way-to-end-the-reign-of-an-irish-league-class-act-37836962.html|title=Billy Weir: Colin Nixon's dismissal from Ards was a classless way to end the reign of an Irish League class act|date=21 February 2019| newspaper=Belfast Telegraph| access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>
* [[Ricky Warwick]], best known as the frontman for the Scottish band The Almighty, is from the town.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/newtownards-musician-ricky-warwick-releases-new-single-3124922|title=Newtownards musician Ricky Warwick releases new single|date=5 February 2021|newspaper=News Letter|  access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>
* [[Thomas Watters]], British diplomat and scholar

==See also==
* [[Newtownards (civil parish)]]
* [[Market houses in Northern Ireland]]
* [[List of civil parishes of County Down]]
* [[List of localities in Northern Ireland by population]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Hanna, J. and Quail, D. 2006. ''Old Newtownards.'' Stenlake Publishing Ltd. {{ISBN|9781840332902}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Newtownards}}
* [http://www.libraryireland.com/UlsterDirectory1910/Newtownards.php/ Newtownards Directory 1910]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120904043933/http://newtownards-online.co.uk/ Newtownards Online]

{{NorthernIrishTowns}}
{{County Down}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Newtownards| ]]
[[Category:Civil parish of Newtownards]]