Comber (from Irish An Comar, meaning 'the confluence' /ˈkʌm(b)ər/, CUM-ber, locally cummer)[2][3] is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland.

It is situated in the townland of Town Parks, the civil parish of Comber and the historic barony of Castlereagh Lower.

By the 1700s, however, the focus of the town had moved to the area of the present main Square and Comber became established as an industrial centre with several mills.

The Andrews family made Comber a centre of both linen production and grain processing by the second half of the 1700s.

The 20th century saw Comber lose much of its industry but re-establish itself as a commuter town for the Belfast urban area, swelling in population from 4,000 in 1961 to 8,933 according to the 2001 census.

In 1978, the Provisional Irish Republican Army bombed La Mon restaurant, killing 12 people.

As a result, the Comber flood wall was built along the river through the town which has held the water back since.

The design concepts were developed in partnership with Ards Borough Council, and, community and business representatives.

Making the announcement, Minister McCausland said: "This represents a significant investment by the Northern Ireland Executive and Ards Borough Council.

The scheme has been designed to bring the maximum benefit to all of Comber's residents and to make the town centre much more attractive to visitors.

He said: "This investment by DSD and the Council will transform the visual appearance of the town centres, enhancing their appeal as places to visit and shop, with the associated positive economic impact.

Like the rest of Ireland, the Comber area has long been divided into townlands, whose names mostly come from the Irish language.

Castle Espie was officially opened as a Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust centre by Lady Scott on 4 May 1990.

In September 2007, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant of £2.96 million towards a major wetland restoration project at Castle Espie, the largest investment in biodiversity in Northern Ireland.

[6] Comber also has a good public transport network with buses travelling to Belfast and Newtownards everyday on a frequent basis.

Known as the Comber Greenway, this traffic free cycle path runs for 7 miles (11 km) along the old railway track bed.

At the time it was Northern Ireland's premier sporting event, regularly attracting crowds in excess of a quarter of a million people.

The first reported Club match in Ulster was played in Comber against Cliftonville on 7 November 1896, with North Down winning 8–0.

In 1994 the decision was taken to play all first team games on the artificial turf pitch at Glenford Park, Newtownards.