#1Famous people · Newtownards, Ards and North Down
Leaders stand out among the 45 famous people born in Newtownards
Articles in 48 languages make the British racecar driver Eddie Irvine the best known. Second and third on the list are Rhys McClenaghan and Muriel Day. 21 of them were born in the 20th century, more than in any other period. The first birth on record is Thomas Watters’, in 1840, and the last Rhys McClenaghan’s, in 1999.
Born here
45
notable people
Best known
Eddie Irvine
in 48 Wikipedia languages
First
1840
Thomas Watters
Youngest
1999
Rhys McClenaghan
Most common field
Sports
24 people
What stands out about Newtownards’ famous people
Still making namesThe most recent birth on the list came in 1999, among 29 since 1950.Known worldwideEddie Irvine is written about in 48 languages.A town of leadersLeaders make up 7 of the 45, 1.8 times the usual share.45 notable peopleMore than most towns: 45 notable people were born in Newtownards.
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Newtownards’s famous people were born
Count by decade and the 1960s come out on top, with 9 births.
SportsPolitics & LawWriting & ArtsMusicMilitaryNotableScience & Medicine
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
The best known
Born in Newtownards
Counted by languages, Eddie Irvine is ahead of Rhys McClenaghan and Muriel Day: 48, 23 and 15.
#1
#2Writing & Arts
Rhys McClenaghan
born 1999Irish artistic gymnast (1999-)
23 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
MD#3
Known for
What Newtownards is known for
Set against the usual town, leaders come out 1.8 times as common.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Newtownards
The rest number 42, with 23 athletes among them.
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
The most names next door are in Belfast: 1,511.
Belfast · 10 miC. S. Lewis & 1,510 more
Bangor · 4 miJosh Magennis & 55 moreSLCarrickfergus · 10 miSeán Lester & 34 more
Holywood · 6 miJamie Dornan & 23 more
Comber · 4 miThomas Andrews & 16 moreNBMetropolitan Castlereagh · 7 miNoel Brotherston & 11 more
Donaghadee · 6 miBear Grylls & 6 more
Saintfield · 11 miFrancis Hutcheson & 4 moreQuestions about famous people from Newtownards
Who is the most famous person from Newtownards?
Eddie Irvine (British racecar driver) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 48 languages. Next come Rhys McClenaghan and Muriel Day.
How many famous people were born in Newtownards?
45 people born in Newtownards have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 49 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Newtownards known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 24 of the 45. That is 53% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Newtownards?
Thomas Watters, born in 1840. The youngest on the list was born in 1999.
Who counts as from Newtownards?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Newtownards’ settlement (NISRA’s settlement development limit), a hospital or district within it included, whose English Wikipedia article agrees. People who only lived here, adult performers and people known mainly for crimes aren’t listed.
Why is someone missing?
Their Wikidata birthplace may be a bigger area (“London”), another town, or missing, or their article may give no birthplace. We only list people both sources agree on; editing Wikidata or Wikipedia changes this page at the next refresh.
From Wikidata (CC0: birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations) and English Wikipedia (each person’s article confirms the birthplace; linked, not quoted). Birthplaces are placed in the town by NISRA’s Settlement Development Limits 2015 (Open Government Licence v3.0). Ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. Fields are read from Wikidata’s description and occupations. “The usual town”: everyone listed across UK towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (23)
- Eddie Irvine: Franmarjos, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rhys McClenaghan: Norman Seibert, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paddy Mayne: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Martyn Irvine: Nicola, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ricky Warwick: kitmasterbloke, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Steven Kane: Robk23oxf, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- H. B. Higgins: John Hubert Newman, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Josh Doherty: SFletcher06, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kerry O'Flaherty: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Simon Hamilton: https://www.flickr.com/photos/niexecutive/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Jeffrey: Craig Norwood, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Celia de Fréine: Mrs Rigmarole, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Patrick Pentland: cdnmusicdiva, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stephen Farry: David Woolfall, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Alexander: Supplement to the Auckland Weekly News, 6 January 1927, page 16 - photographer unknown, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Morrow Simms: Francis Dodd, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mark Francis: studio international, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- C. S. Lewis: John S. Murray, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Josh Magennis: Jonesy702, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jamie Dornan: Dublin International Film Festival, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Andrews: Original uploader was User:Gelosia at en.wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bear Grylls: Jamie Gray from England www.jamiegrayphotography.co.uk, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Francis Hutcheson: Allan Ramsay, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.