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Holiday Home Ireland -
Longford Holiday Homes
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Longford is a county in the midlands of
Ireland situated in the north-west of the province of Leinster. It
is surrounded by the counties of Roscommon, Leitrim, Cavan and
Westmeath. Longford is Ireland’s fourth smallest county by area, and
with a population of less than 35,000 it is one of Ireland’s least
densely populated counties. In fact, with just 0.5% of the island’s
population living in county Longford, only neighbouring Leitrim can
claim to have less inhabitants within its boundaries.
Business in Longford is still centred on agricultural pursuits with
many farmers rearing cattle and sheep, whilst others focus on
traditional crops like oats and potatoes. Most of Longford is
low-lying pasture and raised bogland in the basin of the River
Shannon, which forms its western boundary with Roscommon, much of it
in the form of the large lake, Lough Ree. Heavy rainfall in the
midlands in recent years has led to the Shannon bursting its banks
and repeatedly flooding adjacent fields, with Longford’s farming
community suffering particular hardship.
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The county’s main town is Longford town with a population of around
13,000, i.e. about a third of the county’s residents. The town is
the second largest on the N4 national primary route linking Dublin
to Sligo, and it is also the starting point of the N5 primary road
which terminates at Westport in County Mayo, so there is always a
steady flow of motorists forming a passing trade for businesses in
the town. With a distance of 75 miles from Dublin and improved rail,
motorway and dual carriageway links, Longford is now on the fringes
of the Dublin commuter belt. |
Corlea Trackway Visitors Centre
The centre interprets an Iron Age bog road that was built in the
year 148 B.C. across the boglands of Longford, close to the River
Shannon. The oak road is the largest of its kind to have been
uncovered in Europe and was excavated by Professor Barry Raftery of
University College Dublin. Inside the interpretative centre, an
eighteen-metre stretch of the preserved trackway is on permanent
display in a hall specially designed to preserve the ancient wooden
structure. Bord na Móna and the Office of Public Works have carried
out conservation work on the surrounding bog to ensure that it
remains wet and that the buried road remains preserved. Location:
3km from Kenagh village and accessed on the Longford-Kenagh road,
R357. 15km from Longford or from the Mullingar - Lanesboro road R392
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Bog Oak Sculptures
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. 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. |
St. Mel's Museum
St Mel's Ecclesiastical Museum is situated towards the rear of St
Mel's Cathedral. There are many historical and interesting exhibits
in St. Mel's Museum. The Crozier of St. Mel's is one of the most
precious inheritances of the museum. It dates back to the mid tenth
century.
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The Historic Midlands and Clonmacnoise
Kilteel is close to the N7 and the beginning of the way southwards
to see the Romanesque doorway of Killeshin in Co. Laois, described
as the finest of its kind in Ireland, with beautiful sculpture of
human heads and intertwining hair. From Killeshin go westwards for
the round tower of Timahoe and then across the hills to Seir Kieran
in County Offaly where an ancient thorn tree is venerated to this
day. The route goes north from Seir Kieran, through Tullamore to
Durrow and one of the best examples of Celtic crosses. Then
westwards to reach Clonmacnoise, enchantingly situated on the banks
of the River Shannon and with a unique assemblage of Celtic crosses
and ancient sculpture, a round tower and the ruins of medieval
churches. It enjoyed a thousand years of fame as a place of
pilgrimage and interest was revived when Pope John Paul II
celebrated Mass there in 1979. From Clonmacnoise go west to
Ballycumber to see the marvellous 13th century casket made to
contain the relics of St. Manchan. Then head northwards through
County Longford, with traces of Cistercian monasteries at
Abbeyshrule and Abbeylaragh and a much more ancient church in the
charming village of Ardagh. After these, it’s northwest to County
Louth, the round towers of Inishkeen, Dromiskin and Monasterboice –
where you linger for another of the great places of Irish
monasticism. There are two Celtic crosses and one of them, though
very different in its realistic rather than slightly abstract style,
claims equal rank with the cross of Moone. |
Tubberpatrick
The old cemetery at Tubberpatrick, contains memorials to General
Blake and Irish Officer in the French Army, who was excuted by the
British after the battle of Ballinamuck and later buried there.
Gunner Magee is also commemorated who, with his two cousins, fired
one of the Humbert's guns loading it with broken pots and pans when
the ammunition ran out.Towards the end of the battle a wheel of the
gun broke and Magee's cousins supported the axle with their backs
while he fired the last shot. Their backs were broken by the recoil,
and Magee was then killed by British cavalry. |
County Longford One Day Tour - Ballinamuck County Longford
Ballinamuck is a small picturesque village in Longford close to the
Cavan and Leitrim borders. It boasts the unique way of country life
that is so often sought. The landscape with its gently rolling hills
and valleys was formed by the retreating ice of the last
glaciations. Bog lands and forests mingle with pastures to carpet
this region in hues of brown and green. With its multitude of lakes
and situated only 13km from the River Shannon, Ballinamuck is a
haven for fishermen. Ballinamuck Visitors Centre. Located in the
historic former R.I.C. barracks there is a lively exhibition which
gives details of the Year of the French and the Battle of
Ballinamuck in 1798. After learning the details you may tread the
ground where the battle took place.
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Maria Edgeworth
Most prominently remembered of the Edgeworth family are, of course,
Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744-1817) and one of his twenty-two
children, Maria. Richard was a famous inventor and surveyor who,
though his social class and status inclined him towards the Act of
Union, voted against it, he having been disgusted by the methods of
Castlereagh. His daughters standing as one of the most influential
and famous novelists of the English language remains untouched by
passage of time, her most cherished work being Castle Rackrent. Born
near Oxford in 1767, she spent most of her life in Ireland and she
was deeply loved in the locality, her charitable efforts during the
tragic famine years earning her much praise. Unfortunately, she was
not destined to see Ireland restored to the relative tranquility of
the post-famine era. She died in 1849 and was buried alongside her
father in the family vault in the Churchyard of St. Johns, where
Isolda Wilde, sister of Oscar Wilde, is also buried. The family
home, Edgeworthstown House, is now run as a nursing home. |
Corlea Bog
This bog is near Keenagh shows how the growth of raised bogs caused
problems for people. Increasing depth of mossy, waterlogged ground
made movement from place to place difficult. At Corlea, wooden 'toghers'
or causeways were laid across the growing bog, though even these
were overwhelmed and have only recently been exposed to view. The
Royal Canal towpath is nearby. |
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Towns and Villages
Other towns in County Longford include Ballymahon, Drumlish, Granard,
Keenagh, Edgeworthstown (Meathas Troim) and Newtown Forbes.
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