Aird Uladh (Irish) | |
|---|---|
 Satellite image of the Ards Peninsula | |
 Interactive map of Ards Peninsula | |
| Geography | |
| Location | County Down,Northern Ireland |
| Coordinates | 54°31′N5°31′W / 54.517°N 5.517°W /54.517; -5.517 |
| Area | 380[1] km2 (150 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 217 m (712 ft) |
| Highest point | Cairngaver |
| Administration | |
TheArds Peninsula (fromIrishAird Uladh, meaning 'peninsula of the Ulstermen')[2] is apeninsula inCounty Down,Northern Ireland, on the north-east coast ofIreland. It separatesStrangford Lough from theNorth Channel of theIrish Sea. Towns and villages on the peninsula includeDonaghadee,Millisle,Portavogie andPortaferry. The large towns ofNewtownards andBangor are at the mainland edge of the peninsula.Burr Point is theeasternmost point on the island of Ireland.
In the Middle Ages, the Ards peninsula was inhabited by the Uí Echach Arda, aGaelic Irish clan, and was part of the kingdom ofUlaid. In the late 12th century it was invaded and conquered by theAnglo-Normans underJohn de Courcy, becoming a county of theEarldom of Ulster. The Earldom collapsed in the 14th century, but theHiberno-NormanSavage 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 ofClannaboy. There was a failed attempt by the English tocolonize the Ards in the 1570s. In the early 17th century, the Lower Ards was acquired byJames Hamilton andHugh Montgomery, who settled Scottish Protestants there as part of thePlantation of Ulster.
Towns and villages of the Ards Peninsula include:
| Climate data for Lough Cowey (10m elevation) 1991–2020 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) | 8.8 (47.8) | 10.1 (50.2) | 12.1 (53.8) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.1 (62.8) | 18.9 (66.0) | 18.6 (65.5) | 16.9 (62.4) | 13.9 (57.0) | 10.9 (51.6) | 9.1 (48.4) | 13.3 (55.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) | 3.1 (37.6) | 3.9 (39.0) | 5.1 (41.2) | 7.4 (45.3) | 9.8 (49.6) | 11.7 (53.1) | 11.7 (53.1) | 10.5 (50.9) | 8.1 (46.6) | 5.4 (41.7) | 3.7 (38.7) | 7.0 (44.6) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 78.5 (3.09) | 60.1 (2.37) | 56.1 (2.21) | 53.8 (2.12) | 55.4 (2.18) | 62.9 (2.48) | 66.9 (2.63) | 79.2 (3.12) | 65.5 (2.58) | 87.1 (3.43) | 93.5 (3.68) | 81.2 (3.20) | 840.2 (33.09) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 13.1 | 11.2 | 10.5 | 10.7 | 11.4 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 10.7 | 12.2 | 14.1 | 13.5 | 143.2 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 54.7 | 79.1 | 117.9 | 168.7 | 204.6 | 169.7 | 170.3 | 164.0 | 135.7 | 101.4 | 67.0 | 49.4 | 1,482.5 |
| Source: metoffice.gov.uk[3] | |||||||||||||
