Ards is the name of several different historical territorial divisions all located on the Ards Peninsula

Ards Peninsula

The Ards Peninsula is a peninsula in County Down, Northern Ireland which separates Strangford Lough from the North Channel of the Irish Sea, on Ireland's northeast coast. A number of towns and villages are located on the peninsula, such as the seaside town of Donaghadee, with the surrounding area...

 in modern-day County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...

.

It was once an ancient Irish district that was possessed very early on by the Mac Giolla Mhuire sept (Gilmore). Their power was broken by the Irish O'Neills and MacCartans and the Hiberno-Norman

Hiberno-Norman

The Hiberno-Normans are those Norman lords who settled in Ireland who admitted little if any real fealty to the Anglo-Norman settlers in England, and who soon began to interact and intermarry with the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. The term embraces both their origins as a distinct community with...

 Whites and Savages. By 1333 it is recorded under the Normanised name of Del Art and noted as one of the seven counties of the Earldom of Ulster. It is also the name of a former barony, which was split into Ards Lower

Ards Lower

Ards Lower is a barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the northern half of the Ards Peninsula in the north-east of the county, with the Irish Sea to its east and Strangford Lough to its south...

 and Ards Upper

Ards Upper

Ards Upper is a barony in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the southern half of the Ards Peninsula in the east of the county, with the Irish Sea to its east and Strangford Lough to its west...

by 1851.