- Longford’s Corlea Trackway, a preserved Iron Age wooden road dating to 148 BC, is Europe’s largest of its kind, discovered in a bog near Kenagh.
- The county’s Granard Motte, Ireland’s highest motte and bailey castle, was built by Normans in the 12th century and overlooks the town.
- Longford claims ancestral ties to Hollywood actors Mel Gibson and Will Ferrell, both with roots traced to the O’Farrell clan.
- The village of Ballinamuck was the site of the 1798 rebellion’s final battle, where French and Irish forces were defeated by the English.
- Longford’s Abbeyshrule Cistercian Abbey, founded in 1150, features a rare medieval dovecote still visible near the River Inny.
- The Royal Canal, completed in 1817, terminates in Clondra, Longford, linking Dublin to the River Shannon for boating and cycling.
- Casey’s Bogwood Sculptures in Newtowncashel crafts art from 5,000-year-old preserved bogwood, a rare material unique to Irish bogs.
- Longford’s Saint Mel’s Cathedral, built in 1840, houses a reliquary containing a bone fragment believed to belong to Saint Mel.
- The county’s Edgeworth Literary Trail traces connections to writers like Oscar Wilde, who visited his sister’s grave in Edgeworthstown.
- Longford’s Ardagh Clock Tower, erected in 1863, commemorates Sir George Ralph Fetherston and stands as a rare Victorian monument.
Random facts
Antrim – Armagh – Carlow – Cavan – Clare – Cork – Derry – Donegal – Down – Dublin – Fermanagh – Galway – Kerry – Kildare – Kilkenny – Laois – Leitrim – Limerick – Longford – Louth – Mayo – Meath – Monaghan – Offaly – Roscommon – Sligo – Tipperary – Tyrone – Waterford – Westmeath – Wexford – Wicklow
County Longford:
Ireland’s county Longford offers a peaceful blend of history and countryside, with the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre showcasing an ancient Iron Age road. The county’s St Mel’s Cathedral in Longford town provides architectural beauty, while the River Inny offers opportunities for kayaking and fishing. Other attractions include the rolling farmlands and historic Ardagh village. Longford is Ireland’s fourth smallest county by size and second smallest by population (46,751). Population peaked at 115,491 in 1841 and reached its lowest point, 28,250 in 1971. In terms of hospitality, Longford is Ireland’s 32nd most visited and Ireland’s least visited tourist county with around 22,000 international visitors per year.
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