North Down

North Down, former district (1973–2015) within the former county of Down, now part of Ards and North Down district, eastern Northern Ireland. Consisting of gently undulating lowland on the southern shores of Belfast Lough (inlet of the sea), it was bordered by the city of Belfast to the west and by the former districts of Castlereagh and Ards to the south. Its northern border was a 15-mile (25-km) coastline on Belfast Lough, extending from Holywood in the west to Orlock Point in the east. The town of Bangor grew up around a monastery founded by St. Comgall at the mouth of Belfast Lough about 555. The monastery was destroyed by the Danes in the 9th century, rebuilt in the 12th century, and dissolved by the English in 1542. Later, Scots and Welsh Protestants founded Bangor town.

There is some dairy farming and light industry. Most of the working population, however, is employed in the city of Belfast, making North Down essentially a residential and recreational area. Tourism flourishes in the area. Bangor is a popular seaside resort. The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum (opened 1964), located outside Holywood, has open-air buildings brought from their original sites and reerected in similar surroundings. A primary highway extends along the coast from Belfast to Bangor. Area former district, 29 square miles (74 square km).