From towns and villages to our rolling landscape and place names, and the ‘wee’ turns of phrase you’ll overhear when talking to the older locals, all of Ards and North Down is in some way Ulster-Scots.
Place Names: The burns and braes of the Ards and North Down
From Crawfordsburn village, to Cunningburn just north of Mount Stewart, to the Carrstown Burn near Portaferry, if you keep your eyes open you’ll see Ulster-Scots place names dotted naturally right across our Council area.
The Scots settlers of the 1600s kept the townland names which the O’Neills had
been familiar with, but they introduced their own new Scots-influenced names as well. Some of these have been restored on brown signs in some of the villages, whilst others can be seen on the regular white street signs. Talk to the older locals and you’ll find names which live on in popular memory - ‘Coo Vennel’ in Comber, ‘Schoolhouse Brae’ in Donaghadee, ‘Echlinville’ in Ballyhalbert parish, ‘Whaup Rock’ in Greyabbey, ‘Saltwater Brig’ in Ardkeen... keep your eyes and ears open!
Parks and coastal walks
North Down Coastal Path is a 16-mile route from Holywood to Orlock near Groomsport, following Sir James Hamilton’s estate boundaries of 1606. It connects with Crawfordsburn Country Park, where Crawfordsburn Glen winds 1.5 miles inland from the coast.
The Commons at Donaghadee is very popular with locals and of course enjoys views to Scotland. Allof the beaches on the North Channel coast are easily accessible.
For a bird’s-eyeview, Scrabo Country Park is a must. To get close to the Lough you can walk from Greyabbey to Mid Isle, or along the shorelines at Islandhill and Whiterock.
Strangford Lough is on the National Cycle Route, and there are 11 canoeing trails.
The history of the Ulster-Scots and the impact on Cloughey and Kirkistown.
