Longford
Encyclopedia
Longford is the county town
of County Longford
in Ireland
. It has a population of 7,622 according to the 2006 census. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. Longford town is also the biggest town in the county. Longford is also located at the axis of convergence of the N4 and the N5 primary routes which means that traffic travelling between Dublin and Counties Mayo
and Roscommon
passes through the town.
priory
founded there in 1400.
The Corlea Trackway
Visitor Centre is located near to Longford, in Keenagh
. The Centre houses an Iron Age
bog road which was built in the year 148 BC across the boglands in proximity 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. There are other historical artifacts and some exhibits at the centre.
St. Mel's Cathedral in the town features several stained glass windows by Harry Clarke studios. These include one of his 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. It was also exhibited at The Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland fourth exhibition in the same year. The Cathedral was extensively damaged in a fire on Christmas Day 2009. The two most intricated stained-glass windows in the transepts of the Cathedral it seems will be able to be restored - these depict St Anne and the Resurrection.
Longford town boasts a state-of-the-art 200-seat theatre, and a four-screen multiplex cinema, with restaurants. The mix and quality of housing is extensive and the Rural Renewal Scheme (1999–2006) has ensured that a steady supply of residential development has come about. Longford town has a decentralised government department which employs approximately 300 people with plans for a further 160 to be employed at the Irish Prison Service's new headquarters in the Lisamuck area of the town. Longford's local army barracks once employed approximately 180 soldiers, many of whom were involved in UN peace-keeping duties. However, the barracks closed at the end of January 2009 as part of government cutbacks in military spending. The personnel have been transferred to Athlone.
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 designed by architect John Benjamin Keane, who also designed St. Francis Xavier's Church on Gardiner Street in Dublin. On Christmas morning of 2009, the cathedral was severely damaged as the result of a fire.
There are a number of portal dolmens located around Longford.
Longford's main industries are food production, sawmills, steel
working, 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 many retail outlets including multiples such as Tesco
, Argos
and Homebase
, German
discount retailers, Aldi
and Lidl
and Irish retail outlets such as Dunnes Stores
and Penneys
.
Up until 2007, construction was a major local employer, mainly due to government tax breaks for property development provided under the Rural Renewal scheme. However the downturn in the construction industry, the withdrawal of Rural Renewal, and extensive local oversupply of property has caused large job losses in the construction industry and a significant increase in unemployment in the region.
, (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
. An extensive adult education centre exists in Longford.
St. Mel's College http://www.stmelscollege.ie is the oldest and best-known of these schools, being founded approximately 150 years ago 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 enrollment in county Longford. The College, known locally as Mel's, is best-known for its strict rules of conduct and its success on a national level with Gaelic football
, athletics, soccer, basketball
and Rugby.
Longford is about 91 km from Sligo
and 122 km from Dublin. It lies on the Dublin-Sligo route of the Irish railway network
, and is served by Sligo-Dublin intercity services. Despite its distance from Dublin, the town also has a regular, well-utilised commuter service to Dublin. Journeys to the capital by rail generally take about an hour and three quarters. Longford railway station
opened on 8 November 1855.
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 Clondra.
There are a large 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 well served by the private companies during the academic year.
Longford is at the point of divergence of the N5 road to Castlebar
/Westport
/Knock Airport and the N4 road which continues onwards to Sligo
. While motorists on the N5 must pass through the town en-route to their destination, there is little traffic congestion
except at peak times and this is mainly due to the traffic system of the town which has a number of one-way streets and traffic signals. The N4 Sligo road has a bypass around the town, which consists of single carriageway with hard shoulders and three roundabouts. It was opened on 2 June 1995 and constitutes part of the planned Longford Ring Road which will encircle the town when completed.
Longford's main air transport centre is located south-east of the town, at Abbeyshrule
, the local airport. Abbeyshrule Aerodrome
receives a regular influx of small general aviation aircraft, including the Cessna 182
and 150
. The airport also boasts two flight training centres; one for general aviation fixed wing aircraft training (Aeroclub 2000) and one for microlight aircraft flight training (Ultraflight). The airport is also the home of the Extra 200
aerobatic aircraft EI-SAM of acclaimed Irish international competition aerobatics pilot David Bruton.
The town has a wide range of sports clubs and facilities including the Gaelic Athletic Association
, rugby and tennis clubs, a League Of Ireland soccer club, two indoor swimming pools, an extensive gym and an 18-hole golf course. A new swimming pool was opened in Longford in 2007.
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 has been relatively unsuccessful at national level, in large part reflecting the county's small population size - although it succeeded in winning 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 recently in 2010, and their teams at under-21 level have reached several Leinster finals over the last few years (including 2006). The major boys' secondary school in Longford town, St. Mel's College
, also has a long tradition in secondary schools' football (known as Colleges A), winning 29 Leinster and 4 All-Ireland titles (in the Hogan Cup). At one stage, St. Mel's College had won more Leinster titles than all of the other Leinster colleges put together. The main local GAA Club in Longford is Longford Slashers
, based in Longford town, who have won more Senior County Championships than any other team in the county with their most recent success coming in 2010.
Longford County boasted arguably the best Gaelic football team which did not win the Sam Maguire Cup
in 1968. The team was narrowly beaten by Kerry in the all-Ireland Semi final. The recently-deceased T.D. John Wilson and G.A.A. all-Ireland medalist (with County Cavan) starred with St. Mel's College Gaelic football team. St. Mel's also boasted a cricket
team which wore all black rig. St. Mel's holds the peculiar distinction: in the 1966/67 season it held two teams scoreless in Gaelic football. This feat has never been equalled by any other Gaelic football team in history.
Longford Hurling team struggle to compete with the bigger counties as they only have 3 Hurling teams in the county, Slashers, Wolfe Tones and Clonguish. The county team won the National League Division 3 title in 2002, In 2005 & 2006 they won the Leinster Shield. After been relegated to Division 4 last season, they reached the Lory Meagher Cup Final in Croke Park on July 3, 2010 and won on a score line of Longford 1 - 20 to Donegal 1 - 12. They were also beaten in the Division 4 Final by Monaghain.
Longford town itself has a strong tradition in soccer, the game being introduced in the late 19th century. The town was a military base garrison during British rule. Longford Town football club was founded in 1924 and was elected to the League of Ireland
in 1984. The first Longford town football club team to play in the League of Ireland featured Jimmy Savage, Zac Hackett and Liam Madden. In the 1950s and 60s, Longford boasted such players as Willie Browne
(UCD and Bohemian FC) who won 3 full international Republic of Ireland caps and captained Bohemian FC for 3 consecutive seasons,he made 177 appearances for Bohs in all competitions scoring 20 goals, Lal Donlon (Longford town and Arsenal), Mel 'Garrincha' Mulligan, John 'Hooky' O'Connor and the legendary Billy Clarke. Billy Clarke is arguably Longford's most famous football player to date. The Longford Town football club ground is at Flancare Park
, in the townland of Mullolagher, to the west of the town, on the Strokestown
Road. Previously, the club was based in the north of Abbeycarton town. The Longford Town football club has had notable success in recent years, twice winning the FAI Cup
, in 2003 and 2004, and competing in the UEFA Cup
as a result against Bulgaria
n, Liechtenstein
and Welsh
opposition, though without success.
For golfers, Longford has an extensive parkland course. Also within a 50 km (30 mi) radius of the county, one can play quality championship courses such as the Nick Faldo
-designed Lough Rynn, Glassan
and the Slieve Russell.
Longford is represented in basketball
by two clubs. the first club TORPEDOS (www.bebo.com/torpedobbc) were formed in the early 1970s and have competed in the Meath, Cavan, Mid-lands and National leagues. The club have been very successful over the years and recently represented Longford in the Flanders Basketball Tournament in Ghent, Belgium. They now play in the North East Basketball League with senior Ladies and Mens teams their home court in Kenagh. The second club which was a break away unit of the Torpedoes are Longford Falcons. The club has had numerous Leinster and national titles won at the junior level. The club is based at the Mall Sports Complex, in the east of the town.
Longford town also hosts a rugby
club, Longford RFC, whose grounds are located at Demesne, in the north of the town, and who participate in Leinster junior leagues, as well as a 25-metre swimming pool located at the local mall and another swimming pool located in the LIFE Health And Fitness gym on Richmond Street.
Longford has an extensive mall sports complex. The complex contains a swimming pool, gym, both indoor and outdoor football and basketball grounds and there is also new outdoor gym equipment all around the mall. The Mall itself is a popular walking spot in the town, a lap of which is approximately 2 km.
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of County Longford
County Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It has a population of 7,622 according to the 2006 census. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. Longford town is also the biggest town in the county. Longford is also located at the axis of convergence of the N4 and the N5 primary routes which means that traffic travelling between Dublin and Counties Mayo
Mayo
- Places :Ireland* County Mayo* Mayo * Mayo * Mayo * Mayo East * Mayo North...
and Roscommon
Roscommon
Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 5,017 . The town is located near the junctions of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.-History:...
passes through the town.
History
Built on the banks of the River Camlin (derived from the Gaelic "Cam linn" - the crooked pool) which is a tributary of the River Shannon, the town was originally founded by Viking raiders as Long Phoirt, from the Irish long meaning ship and phoirt meaning port or dock. The Celtic inhabitants of Ireland did not build towns but the area came under the sway of the local clan which controlled the south and central part of the county of Longford (formerly the Kingdom of Anghaile or Annally) and hence, the town is referred to occasionally as Longphort Uí Fhearghail (Fort of O'Farrell), a DominicanDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
founded there in 1400.
Places of interest
Traffic Lights (currently under a witness protection programme)The Corlea Trackway
Corlea Trackway
The Corlea Trackway is an Iron Age trackway, or togher, near the village of Kenagh, south of Longford town, County Longford, in the Republic of Ireland. It was known locally as the Danes Road...
Visitor Centre is located near to Longford, in Keenagh
Keenagh
Keenagh is a village in County Longford, Ireland. It is situated on the R397 near the Royal Canal.A small village with two churches , a couple of shops and a pub, it lies south of Longford Town...
. The Centre houses an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
bog road which was built in the year 148 BC across the boglands in proximity to the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
. 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
Bord na Móna
Bord na Móna , abbreviated BNM, is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland...
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. There are other historical artifacts and some exhibits at the centre.
St. Mel's Cathedral in the town features several stained glass windows by Harry Clarke studios. These include one of his 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. It was also exhibited at The Arts and Crafts Society of Ireland fourth exhibition in the same year. The Cathedral was extensively damaged in a fire on Christmas Day 2009. The two most intricated stained-glass windows in the transepts of the Cathedral it seems will be able to be restored - these depict St Anne and the Resurrection.
Longford town boasts a state-of-the-art 200-seat theatre, and a four-screen multiplex cinema, with restaurants. The mix and quality of housing is extensive and the Rural Renewal Scheme (1999–2006) has ensured that a steady supply of residential development has come about. Longford town has a decentralised government department which employs approximately 300 people with plans for a further 160 to be employed at the Irish Prison Service's new headquarters in the Lisamuck area of the town. Longford's local army barracks once employed approximately 180 soldiers, many of whom were involved in UN peace-keeping duties. However, the barracks closed at the end of January 2009 as part of government cutbacks in military spending. The personnel have been transferred to Athlone.
The town serves as the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
town of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise
Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise
The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise is a Roman Catholic diocese in Ireland.-Geographic remit:The diocese is spread over parts of seven counties in the centre of Ireland. It includes almost all of County Longford, half of County Leitrim and parts of counties Westmeath, Offaly, Cavan, Roscommon...
. St Mel's Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Mel
Saint Mel
Saint Mel or Moel died in 488. He is said to have been a Briton who came to Ireland with Saint Patrick, his uncle, with whom he worked until he was ordained in Ardagh. He helped evangelize Ireland while supporting himself through manual labor. He is one of the earliest Irish saints and gave the...
, the founder of the diocese of Ardagh
Bishop of Ardagh
The Bishop of Ardagh was a separate episcopal title which took its name after the village of Ardagh in County Longford, Ireland. It was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1756, and intermittently by the Church of Ireland until 1839....
, was designed by architect John Benjamin Keane, who also designed St. Francis Xavier's Church on Gardiner Street in Dublin. On Christmas morning of 2009, the cathedral was severely damaged as the result of a fire.
There are a number of portal dolmens located around Longford.
Economy
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
working, 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 many retail outlets including multiples such as Tesco
Tesco Ireland
Tesco Ireland is the Irish arm of supermarket group Tesco. It was formed in Tesco plc's 1997 takeover of the Irish retailing operations of Associated British Foods, namely Powers' Supermarkets Limited and its subsidiaries, trading as Quinnsworth and Crazy Prices.Tesco operates supermarkets under...
, Argos
Argos (retailer)
Argos is the largest general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 800 stores. It is unique amongst major retailers in the UK in that it is a catalogue merchant...
and Homebase
Homebase
Homebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
discount retailers, Aldi
ALDI
ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
and Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
and Irish retail outlets such as Dunnes Stores
Dunnes Stores
Dunnes Stores, also known as Dunnes, is a supermarket and clothing retail chain, that is based in Dublin, Ireland.The chain primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain has operations in Great Britain and Spain...
and Penneys
Primark
Primark is a clothing retailer, operating over 223 stores in Ireland , the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Belgium...
.
Up until 2007, construction was a major local employer, mainly due to government tax breaks for property development provided under the Rural Renewal scheme. However the downturn in the construction industry, the withdrawal of Rural Renewal, and extensive local oversupply of property has caused large job losses in the construction industry and a significant 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 CollegeSt. Mel's College
St. Mel's College is a school in Longford, Ireland. It opened in September 1865 with 48 boarders and 25 dayboys. Fr. James Reynolds was the first president. Previously he had been Superior of St. Mel's Day School in the Market Square....
, (a Catholic boys' school) and Scoil Mhuire
Scoil Mhuire
The Sisters of Mercy, Scoil Mhuire, came to Longford from Mother House in Baggot Street, Dublin in April 1861. They first lived in Keon’s Terrace and taught young children in the ground floor room of the old St. Micheal’s Boys’ School. Older girls who wanted to continue their education did so in...
(a Catholic girls' school run by the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
), as well as a mixed school, (Templemichael College
Templemichael
Templemichael is a civil parish in the barony of Slievardagh, South Tipperary, in Ireland. Historically, it was in the Poor Law Union of "Carrick-on-Suir & Callan". It is situated in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore....
, formerly known as Longford Vocational School
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
). Primary schools in Longford include a Gaelscoil
Gaelscoil
A gaelscoil is an Irish-medium primary school in Ireland, of a sort found outside the traditionally Irish-speaking regions, especially in urban areas....
. An extensive adult education centre exists in Longford.
St. Mel's College http://www.stmelscollege.ie is the oldest and best-known of these schools, being founded approximately 150 years ago 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 enrollment in county Longford. The College, known locally as Mel's, is best-known for its strict rules of conduct and its success on a national level with Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
, athletics, soccer, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and Rugby.
Transport
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
and 122 km from Dublin. It lies on the Dublin-Sligo route of the Irish railway network
Rail transport in Ireland
Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin...
, and is served by Sligo-Dublin intercity services. Despite its distance from Dublin, the town also has a regular, well-utilised commuter service to Dublin. Journeys to the capital by rail generally take about an hour and three quarters. Longford railway station
Longford railway station
Longford railway station serves the town of Longford in County Longford.Longford is about 91 km from Sligo and 122 km from Dublin. It lies on the Dublin-Sligo route of the Irish railway network, and is served by Sligo-Dublin intercity services. Despite its distance from Dublin, the town...
opened on 8 November 1855.
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 Clondra.
There are a large 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 well served by the private companies during the academic year.
Longford is at the point of divergence of the N5 road to Castlebar
Castlebar
Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
/Westport
Westport, County Mayo
Westport is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the west coast at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean....
/Knock Airport and the N4 road which continues onwards to Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
. While motorists on the N5 must pass through the town en-route to their destination, there is little traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
except at peak times and this is mainly due to the traffic system of the town which has a number of one-way streets and traffic signals. The N4 Sligo road has a bypass around the town, which consists of single carriageway with hard shoulders and three roundabouts. It was opened on 2 June 1995 and constitutes part of the planned Longford Ring Road which will encircle the town when completed.
Longford's main air transport centre is located south-east of the town, at Abbeyshrule
Abbeyshrule
Abbeyshrule is located in south-east County Longford, Ireland, on the Royal Canal. There is an airfield near the village, is also located beside the Royal Canal.The Abbeyshrule Aerodrome is located just outside the village alongside the Royal Canal....
, the local airport. Abbeyshrule Aerodrome
Abbeyshrule Aerodrome
Abbeyshrule Aerodrome is an airport located in south-east County Longford, Ireland, near the village of Abbeyshrule. Located in the centre of Ireland, the aerodrome is situated in uncontrolled airspace and is clear of restricted areas.The bituminous runway is...
receives a regular influx of small general aviation aircraft, including the Cessna 182
Cessna 182
The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engine, light airplane, built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats, installed in the baggage area....
and 150
Cessna 150
The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane, that was designed for flight training, touring and personal use.The Cessna 150 is the seventh most produced civilian plane ever, with 23,839 aircraft produced...
. The airport also boasts two flight training centres; one for general aviation fixed wing aircraft training (Aeroclub 2000) and one for microlight aircraft flight training (Ultraflight). The airport is also the home of the Extra 200
Extra 200
The Extra Flugzeugbau Extra 200 is a two-seat, tandem arrangement, low-wing aerobatic monoplane with conventional landing gear fully capable of Unlimited category competition. It was designed by Walter Extra who introduced it to the United States market in 1996...
aerobatic aircraft EI-SAM of acclaimed Irish international competition aerobatics pilot David Bruton.
Sport
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
, rugby and tennis clubs, a League Of Ireland soccer club, two indoor swimming pools, an extensive gym and an 18-hole golf course. A new swimming pool was opened in Longford in 2007.
The sport with most support in County Longford is Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
. The headquarters of the Longford Gaelic Athletic Association
Longford GAA
The Longford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Longford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Longford...
is located in Pearse Park in Longford Town, with a ground capacity of around 11,000. The Longford Gaelic football team has been relatively unsuccessful at national level, in large part reflecting the county's small population size - although it succeeded in winning 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 recently in 2010, and their teams at under-21 level have reached several Leinster finals over the last few years (including 2006). The major boys' secondary school in Longford town, St. Mel's College
St. Mel's College
St. Mel's College is a school in Longford, Ireland. It opened in September 1865 with 48 boarders and 25 dayboys. Fr. James Reynolds was the first president. Previously he had been Superior of St. Mel's Day School in the Market Square....
, also has a long tradition in secondary schools' football (known as Colleges A), winning 29 Leinster and 4 All-Ireland titles (in the Hogan Cup). At one stage, St. Mel's College had won more Leinster titles than all of the other Leinster colleges put together. The main local GAA Club in Longford is Longford Slashers
Longford Slashers
Longford Slashers are a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Longford, County Longford, Ireland.-History:Longford Slashers were formed in 1954 when Shroid Slashers and Longford Wanderers amalgamated...
, based in Longford town, who have won more Senior County Championships than any other team in the county with their most recent success coming in 2010.
Longford County boasted arguably the best Gaelic football team which did not win the Sam Maguire Cup
Sam Maguire Cup
The Sam Maguire Cup, often called The Sam , is the name of the cup that is awarded to winners of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland...
in 1968. The team was narrowly beaten by Kerry in the all-Ireland Semi final. The recently-deceased T.D. John Wilson and G.A.A. all-Ireland medalist (with County Cavan) starred with St. Mel's College Gaelic football team. St. Mel's also boasted a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
team which wore all black rig. St. Mel's holds the peculiar distinction: in the 1966/67 season it held two teams scoreless in Gaelic football. This feat has never been equalled by any other Gaelic football team in history.
Longford Hurling team struggle to compete with the bigger counties as they only have 3 Hurling teams in the county, Slashers, Wolfe Tones and Clonguish. The county team won the National League Division 3 title in 2002, In 2005 & 2006 they won the Leinster Shield. After been relegated to Division 4 last season, they reached the Lory Meagher Cup Final in Croke Park on July 3, 2010 and won on a score line of Longford 1 - 20 to Donegal 1 - 12. They were also beaten in the Division 4 Final by Monaghain.
Longford town itself has a strong tradition in soccer, the game being introduced in the late 19th century. The town was a military base garrison during British rule. Longford Town football club was founded in 1924 and was elected to the League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
in 1984. The first Longford town football club team to play in the League of Ireland featured Jimmy Savage, Zac Hackett and Liam Madden. In the 1950s and 60s, Longford boasted such players as Willie Browne
Willie Browne
Willie Browne was an Irish soccer player during the 1960s.A Bohemian F.C. legend, he was the last amateur to have been capped for the full Ireland national team for 43 years until Joseph Lapira was capped against Ecuador in May 2007.- Career :...
(UCD and Bohemian FC) who won 3 full international Republic of Ireland caps and captained Bohemian FC for 3 consecutive seasons,he made 177 appearances for Bohs in all competitions scoring 20 goals, Lal Donlon (Longford town and Arsenal), Mel 'Garrincha' Mulligan, John 'Hooky' O'Connor and the legendary Billy Clarke. Billy Clarke is arguably Longford's most famous football player to date. The Longford Town football club ground is at Flancare Park
Flancare Park
Flancare Park is a soccer stadium in Longford, Ireland. It is the home stadium of League of Ireland side Longford Town F.C.. Flancare Park has also held numerous international underage matches. The stadium underwent a huge redevelopment at the end of 2000/2001 season...
, in the townland of Mullolagher, to the west of the town, on the Strokestown
Strokestown
Strokestown, historically called Bellanamullia and Bellanamully , is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located at the junction of the N5 National primary route and the R368 regional road in the north of the county....
Road. Previously, the club was based in the north of Abbeycarton town. The Longford Town football club has had notable success in recent years, twice winning the FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
, in 2003 and 2004, and competing in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
as a result against Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
and Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
opposition, though without success.
For golfers, Longford has an extensive parkland course. Also within a 50 km (30 mi) radius of the county, one can play quality championship courses such as the Nick Faldo
Nick Faldo
Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No...
-designed Lough Rynn, Glassan
Glassan
Glassan is a small village of 216 inhabitants in rural County Westmeath, Ireland. It is north of Athlone, on the N55 national secondary road, not far from the shores of Lough Ree...
and the Slieve Russell.
Longford is represented in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
by two clubs. the first club TORPEDOS (www.bebo.com/torpedobbc) were formed in the early 1970s and have competed in the Meath, Cavan, Mid-lands and National leagues. The club have been very successful over the years and recently represented Longford in the Flanders Basketball Tournament in Ghent, Belgium. They now play in the North East Basketball League with senior Ladies and Mens teams their home court in Kenagh. The second club which was a break away unit of the Torpedoes are Longford Falcons. The club has had numerous Leinster and national titles won at the junior level. The club is based at the Mall Sports Complex, in the east of the town.
Longford town also hosts a rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, Longford RFC, whose grounds are located at Demesne, in the north of the town, and who participate in Leinster junior leagues, as well as a 25-metre swimming pool located at the local mall and another swimming pool located in the LIFE Health And Fitness gym on Richmond Street.
Longford has an extensive mall sports complex. The complex contains a swimming pool, gym, both indoor and outdoor football and basketball grounds and there is also new outdoor gym equipment all around the mall. The Mall itself is a popular walking spot in the town, a lap of which is approximately 2 km.
People
- The mother of actor Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
, Anne Reilly Gibson, was born in Colmcille Parish, County Longford, Ireland. Gibson's first name comes from the 5th-century Irish saint, Mel, founder of the diocese of Ardagh (which contains most of his mother's native county), while his second name, Colmcille, also linked to an Irish saint, is the name of the parish in County Longford where Anne Reilly was born and raised. - Michael GomezMichael GomezMichael Gomez , also known as "The Irish Mexican" or "The Predator", is a former professional boxer...
, champion professional boxer was born in an Irish TravellerIrish TravellerIrish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions. They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.-Etymology:...
family in Longford. - Ray FlynnRay Flynn (athlete)Raymond P. Flynn is a retired middle distance runner and sports agent. A native of Longford in Ireland, Flynn won the mile at the Great Britain Championships against other high school runners. He earned an athletic scholarship to East Tennessee State University where he ran cross country and track...
, Irish mile record holder, grew up in Longford. - Dermot Hegarty , Irish showband singer was born here in 1940.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- GranardGranardGranard is a town in the north of County Longford, Ireland and has a traceable history going back to 236 A.D.. It is situated just south of the boundary between the watersheds of the Shannon and the Erne, at the point where the N55 national secondary road and the R194 regional road...
- A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis
- Info on St. Mel's Cathedral before and after the fire