Welcome to Longford!

County Longford

Longford is a small landlocked county that forms the north-western part of the province of Leinster, bordering both Connacht and Ulster, and is bounded on the west by Lough Ree and the river Shannon.

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Longford

Information Longford Ireland

County Longford is not exceptional among the midlands counties. It is a county of rolling fields and hedgerows, a dairy region, with the River Shannon passing along it as with all the midlands counties with the exception of Laois. Longford town – like Athlone – is a hub between the east and west coasts, with traffic on the way to either Dublin or Mayo frequently passing through thanks to the N4 and N5. The town was founded by the Vikings and earns its name and that of the county from the Irish for Ship Dock or Port (long meaning ship).

Longford’s second largest town has had a history since Celtic times, perhaps due to the strategic advantage of its elevated position. Granard is mentioned in The Brown Bull of Cooley (or The Cattle-Run Of Cooley), an epic poem from pre-Christian Ireland, but blink and you’ll miss the reference in the story. Granard is one of the pit stops made by Queen Maeve and her army on her way to capture the bull, which ultimately forces the hero of the poem’s hand. Cu Cuchalainn is a hero of other Ulster myths and legends, and every Irish school child knows of his exploits with the Red Branch Knights, a band of brothers based on the Red Branch kingdoms of Ulster and something of a modern construct when compared to the epics themselves.

Actual history can be explored rather than myth and legend at the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre found in Kenagh where you can see an Iron Age bog road unearthed and excavated primarily by University College Dublin. First built in 148 BC, the oak road is the largest of its kind found in Europe and some of it is housed indoors due to its fragility. The visitor centre has this section of road on display.

Attractions Longford Ireland

Longford Tourist Attractions

Battle of Ballinamuck Centre - Ballinamuck

Located in the historic former R.I.C. barracks in Ballinamuck, is a lively exhibition which gives details of the Year of the French and the Battle of Ballinamuck in 1798. Having discovered the details you may tread the ground where the battle took place.
Bogwood Sculpture Artists - Newtowncashel

This bogwood workshop is located at Barley Harbour, Newtowncashel. Their workshop and studio is beside Lough Ree on the River Shannon. Here the story of bogwood is told through video, photographs, charts and finally the finished pieces of sculpture. Bogwood is found in Irish Bogs where it has been preserved for 5,000 years. This wood was part of the great forest that covered the central plains of Ireland. Michael and Kevin Casey are artists who create beautiful sculptures from this wood.
Rathcline Church - Rathcline

Located in Rathcline cemetery; three miles from Ballinamock, here stands the lovely ruin of an ancient church. The ruined building has the remains of a Romanesque window and dates from the 12th or 13th century. The church was renovated around the 15th century. Most of the gothic doorway, which was inserted then, still survives today. Also added was an ogee-headed window high on the west gable with a 'Síle-na-Gig' carved on the northern splay

Heritage Sites

Ardagh Heritage Village - Ardagh

Ardagh's varied attractions range from its fame as an early Christian archaeological site, associated with Saints Patrick and Mel, to its famous mythological associations with the legend of Midhir and Etain, celebrated by contemporary Irish poet Eavan Boland in her long poem. The Heritage Centre is enhanced by a plantation containing thirty-five species of native broadleaf trees, with special emphasis on the Sessile Irish Oak. As well as being designated a nationally important heritage village; Ardagh has also the distinction of being awarded Prix d'Honneur of the Entente Florale and a winner of the National Tidy Towns Award in 1989.
Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre - Kenagh

The Centre interprets an Iron Age bog road which was built in the year 148 BC across the boglands close to the River Shannon. The oak road is the largest of its kind to have been uncovered in Europe and was excavated over the years by Professor Barry Raftery of University College Dublin. Inside the building, an 18 metre stretch of preserved road is on permanent display in a specially designed hall with humidifiers to prevent the ancient wood from cracking in the heat. Bord na Mona and the Heritage Service have carried out conservation work on the surrounding bog to ensure that it remains wet and that the buried road is preserved.