Conference Exploring Maritime Heritage of Ards and North Down

North Down Museum is hosting a one-day conference on February 17 at Bangor Castle, highlighting the rich maritime traditions within the Borough of Ards and North Down.

Ards and North Down’s 115 mile coastline is one of the longest in NI, with Belfast Lough to the north, the Irish Sea to the east, and Strangford Lough with its many islands forming the internal coastline of the Ards Peninsula. The area has been inhabited for at least 7,000 years and today a significant proportion of the Borough’s population live in 17 coastal settlements. The coast as a resource allowed industries such as fishing, trading, and boat-building to flourish as well leisure sailing and even smuggling; the aim of the conference is to highlight these activities.

The Ards and North Down Heritage Cluster, which has prompted the conference, is an informal gathering of heritage interest groups across the Borough, set up in June 2022.