Longford

Longford () is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of Ireland's N4 and N5 roads, which means that traffic travelling between Dublin and County Mayo, or north County Roscommon passes around the town. Longford railway station, on the Dublin-Sligo line, is used heavily by commuters.

History

The town is built at a fording point on the banks of the River Camlin (), which is a tributary of the River Shannon. According to several sources, the name Longford is an Anglicization of the Irish , referring to a fortress or fortified house.

The area came under the sway of the local clan which controlled the south and middle of the County of Longford (historically called or ) and hence, the town was known as (fort/stronghold of O'Farrell).

A Dominican priory was founded there in 1400. St. John's Church of Ireland (formerly known as Templemichael Parish Church) was built on the site of the priory in 1710.

In 1815, the Longford Cavalry Barracks was established by the British Army in the town.

A spur of the Royal Canal, linking the main canal to Longford town was completed in 1831. Construction on the Royal Canal had begun in May 1790 and concluded in 1817 with the successful joining of Dublin with the River Shannon at Cloondara, County Longford, but had bypassed Longford town itself.

From at least the 1830s, The Royal Canal Company offered cheap fares on night boats along the canal for passengers wishing to get from Longford to Dublin, and vice versa. The Irish Waterways History website describes the conditions under which the night boat service operated in the late 1830s: "From 1838 the night boat from Dublin left at two o'clock each afternoon; the boat from Longford left at half-past two. The night boat schedule was arranged to allow links with Charles Bianconi's cars, which linked Longford with Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle and Sligo". The journey from Dublin to Longford by boat took 17 hours. In November 1845, one of the night boats sank en route to Longford on the outskirts of Dublin, killing 15 people.

In February 1922, following Irish independence, the Cavalry Barracks in Longford were handed over to the Irish Free State and renamed Connolly Barracks after Sean Connolly, an Irish republican.

Places of interest

Located to the south of Longford, in Keenagh, is the visitor centre of the Corlea Trackway. It houses a preserved 18-metre stretch of Iron Age bog road, which was built in . There are also a number of portal dolmens located around Longford.

The town serves as the cathedral town of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. St Mel's Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Mel, the founder of the diocese of Ardagh, was built between 1840 and 1856. It was designed by architect John Benjamin Keane, who also designed St Francis Xavier's Church on Gardiner Street in Dublin. St Mel's Cathedral features several stained glass windows by Harry Clarke studios. These include one of Clarke's earliest works, ''The consecration of St. Mel as Bishop of Longford'', which was exhibited at the RDS Annual Art Industries Exhibition in 1910, where it received second prize. The cathedral was extensively damaged in a fire on Christmas Day 2009. It remained closed for five years after the fire, while it was the centre of one of the largest restoration projects undertaken in Europe. It reopened for services at midnight mass on Christmas Eve 2014 and has since become a tourist attraction. Two of the intricate stained-glass windows in the transepts of the cathedral, depicting St Anne and the Resurrection, have been restored.

Longford town has a 212-seat theatre called Backstage Theatre just outside of the town, and a four-screen multiplex cinema, with restaurants. The Irish Prison Service HQ, which is in the Lisnamuck area of the town, has a sculpture by artist Remco de Fouw, which is one of the largest pieces of sculpture in Ireland.

In a 2003 '' Guardian'' article about Patrick McCabe, Longford's "features of distinction" are described as including " a hulking cathedral, a rash of fast-food joints, a grubby cinema and a shopping mall".King of Bog Gothic
''The Guardian''. 30 August 2003

Economy

Longford's main industries are food production, sawmills, steelworking, generator retailing, cable making and the production of medical diagnostics. It is the major services centre for the county as well as the location of the Department of Social Welfare and the Irish Prison Service. The town is also a local commercial centre, with a number of retail outlets including multiples such as Tesco, German discount retailers, Aldi and Lidl and Irish retail outlets such as Dunnes Stores and Penneys. A retail park, the N4 Axis Centre, opened in Longford in October 2005.

Longford town has a decentralized government department which employs approximately 300 people, and a further 130 are employed at the Irish Prison Service's headquarters in the town. Connolly Barracks once employed approximately 180 soldiers, many of whom were involved in UN peace-keeping duties, until the barracks closed in January 2009.

While construction was formerly a major local employer, following the post-2008 Irish economic downturn, there were job losses in the construction industry and an increase in unemployment in the region.

Education

Longford town has a number of primary schools (for ages 4–12) and three secondary schools (for ages 12–19): two single-sex schools, St. Mel's College (a Catholic boys' school), and Scoil Mhuire (a Catholic girls' school run by the Sisters of Mercy), as well as a mixed school, ( Templemichael College, formerly known as Longford Vocational School). Primary schools in Longford include a Gaelscoil and St. Joseph's. There is also an adult education centre in Longford.

St. Mel's College is the oldest of these schools, being founded in the 1860s by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois as a diocesan seminary to train students for the priesthood. While the school only briefly functioned as a seminary, it served for many years as a boarding school, while also admitting day students. The boarding school was discontinued after 2000 and the school is now only a day school, with the largest student enrolment in County Longford.

Transport

Road

Longford is at the point of divergence of the N5 road to Castlebar/ Westport/ Ireland West Airport and the N4 road which continues onwards to Sligo.

The N5 originally started in the town centre, causing occasional traffic congestion. The town's bypass opened on 3 August 2012.

The N4 Sligo road has a bypass around the town, which consists of single carriageway with hard shoulders and four roundabouts. It was opened on 2 June 1995.

Rail

Longford railway station (opened 8 November 1855) is on the Dublin-Sligo line of the Irish railway network. About from Sligo and from Dublin, it is served by Sligo-Dublin intercity services. Despite its distance from Dublin, there is a regular, well-utilised commuter service to Dublin with journeys to Dublin Connolly generally taking about an hour and three-quarters.

Canals

The Royal Canal reopened in October 2010 after years of being derelict and overgrown. Navigation is now possible from Spencer Dock, in Dublin, to the Shannon, in Cloondara.

Bus

There are a number of bus services to Dublin and other towns both outside and inside the county provided by both the state ( Bus Éireann) and private bus companies (Kane's, Donnelly's and Farrelly's.) Third level colleges are also served by the private companies during the academic year.

Donnelly's Pioneer Bus Service, a local bus company based in Granard, operate a route from Longford to Granard via Ballinalee. There are three journeys each way daily (no Sunday service).

Whartons Travel, which is also a local bus service, operate a route from Longford railway station and Longford to Cavan via Drumlish, Arvagh and Crossdoney. As of 2014, this service is funded by the National Transport Authority.

Air

Longford's main air transport centre is located south-east of the town, at Abbeyshrule. Abbeyshrule Aerodrome receives a regular influx of small general aviation aircraft, including the Cessna 182 and 150. The airport also has two flight training centres; one for general aviation fixed wing aircraft training (''Aeroclub 2000'') and one for microlight aircraft flight training (''Ultraflight'').

Arts and culture

The Backstage Theatre and Centre for the Arts is a facility for arts and culture projects in the town and surrounding areas. It is funded by Longford County Council with support from the Arts Council. Backstage is a member of two arts touring networks: Nasc a nationwide network of seven venues and Nomad a north midlands based network.

Sport

The town has a number of sports clubs and facilities, including the Gaelic Athletic Association, rugby and tennis clubs, a League of Ireland soccer club (Longford Town FC), two indoor swimming pools, a gym and an 18-hole golf course. A swimming pool was opened in Longford in 2007.

Gaelic football and hurling

The sport with most support in County Longford is Gaelic football. The headquarters of the Longford Gaelic Athletic Association is located in Pearse Park in Longford Town, with a ground capacity of around 11,000. The Longford Gaelic football team won a Leinster title at Senior level in 1968 and a National League title in 1966. The minor (under-18) Longford county team won the Leinster title in 2002 and 2010. The major boys' secondary school in Longford town, St. Mel's College, also has a tradition in secondary schools' football (known as Colleges A), winning 29 Leinster and 4 All-Ireland titles (in the Hogan Cup). The main local GAA club is Longford Slashers, based in Longford town, who have won more Longford Senior Football Championship titles (16) than any other team in the county, including a win in 2013.

Soccer

Longford town's main association football (soccer) club, Longford Town FC, was founded in 1924 and was elected to the League of Ireland in 1984. The club's ground is at Strokestown Road. Longford Town FC has twice won the FAI Cup, in 2003 and 2004.

Other sports

The local rugby union club, Longford RFC, was formed in the 1960s and participates in the Leinster League.

Longford Sports & Leisure Centre, located in an area known locally as The Mall, contains a swimming pool, gym, and indoor and outdoor football and basketball facilities.

People

* Willie Browne (1936–2004), Republic of Ireland international footballer
* Francis "Frank" Butler (1847–1926), rifleshot who toured the US (1876–1884) and husband-manager of American sharpshooter Annie Oakley
* Padraic Colum (1881–1972), Irish poet, novelist and playwright
* Ray Flynn (b.1957), Irish mile record holder
* Gareth Ghee, inter-county hurler
* Michael Gomez (b.1977), champion professional boxer was born in an Irish Traveller family in Longford.
* Patrick McCabe (b.1955) novelist, has lived in Longford.
* Ruairí Ó Brádaigh (1932–2013), founder of Republican Sinn Féin

Climate

Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is " Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).

See also

* Carn Clonhugh
* List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

Sources

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External links

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County towns in the Republic of Ireland
Towns and villages in County Longford
Former urban districts in the Republic of Ireland
Former boroughs in the Republic of Ireland