Introduction to Longford
Longford is known as ³The Winning County² and lies in Ireland's midlands. It is boarded by Roscommon, Westmeath, Leitrim and Cavan. County Longford, the third smallest county in Ireland, lies in the Shannon basin and the upper catchment of the Erne. The county town of Longford is the progressive administrative centre of the county. Longford possesses some of the countries best and totally unspoilt scenery. For many years it has been ignored by the tourist guide books which has resulted in these remote parts of Ireland being unaffected by the mass tourist market.
If you want coach loads of tourists, gaming machines, chip shops, unsightly housing schemes etc, this is not the place for you, Longford remains unspoilt.
North of the county and south county Leitrim you will find a rugged and harsh landscape dotted with a mass of lakes and hills, the scenery is breathtaking.
South County Longford along the Shannon and Lough Ree has to be seen to be believed. It is difficult to imagine how this part of Ireland has been ignored for so long. The land is low lying and with large stretches of bog. A drive from Lanesborough down along the Shannon to Elfeet, Barley Harbour, and Saints Island is one not to be missed.
A Brief History of Longford
A focal point of the northern midlands where the provinces of Leinster, Ulster and Connaught converge, Longford, where history and literature, tragedy and triumph are all woven together, takes its name from the ancient stronghold of the OFarrell family (Long Fort - Fort of the OFarrells).
Bordered to the west by the majestic River Shannon, Longford is a county of rolling plains and picturesque stretches of water. The highest point of the county, Cairn Hill, is only 279m high, but from atop the summit glorious views in all directions are afforded.
Farbuide Fer Benn, renowned in Irish mythology for revenging the death of his mother who was killed by Queen Maeve, is supposedly buried here.
The present county came into being under the Tudors in 1547, based largely on a region which had previously been known after two of its most prominent rulers, Queen Teffia (pre 800 a.d.) and King Annaly (post 800 a.d.). From the eleventh century the region has been ruled by the descendants of Ferghall (the valiant one), a hero of the Battle of Clontarf (1014 a.d.), who had marched westwards and forcibly taken control of the area.
It was in Longford that some of the fiercest fighting of the 1798 rebellion took place when the Year of the French came to a bloody end at Ballinamuck; where Edgeworth and Goldsmith were inspired to write several of the most acclaimed works of the English language and where General Sean McEoin,the Blacksmith of Ballinalee, conducted the War of Independence with cunning and bravery during the early 1920s.
Longfords motto emblazoned across its county crest declares it to be Daingean agus Dilis - Strong and Loyal; without doubt it has lived up to its self-set standards and profoundly influenced the Ireland of today.
Areas of Interest in Longford
Ardagh Visitor Centre
The early history of Ardagh begins a short distance outside the village at Brí Leith. This forested hill was once a famous centre of pre-Christian religious worship. The importance of the hill rested in the fact that it commanded extensive views over the surrounding countryside. With the coming of Christianity in the fifth century, the centre of religious worship moved away from Brí Leith to Ardagh itself. The name Ardagh, Árd Archadh in Irish, means the high field, which indicates that when St Mel first arrived here the area was unsettled with lots of open ground on which to build.
While Ardaghs importance declined with the coming of the Normans, a change in its fortunes was to occur with the arrival of a new family, the Fetherstons. The Fetherstons made Ardagh their new home and built the present Ardagh House in the early 1700s.
In 1744 one of the most famous incidents in Ardaghs history occurred. This was the visit of young Oliver Goldsmith who was fooled into mistaking the mansion (Ardagh House) for an inn. His endeavors to court the Fetherston daughters in the belief that they were servant girls formed the plot of his most successful play "She Stoops to Conquer ", a comedy which explores the contemporary themes of sexual morality and double standards.
The enduring legacy of the Fetherstons, however, is the village of Ardagh itself. The village and estate were managed by Sir George Ralph Fetherston and his English wife Frances Solly from Essex. It was Sir Georges nephew, however, who was to have most dramatic impact on Ardagh. He was to employ Victorian architect John Rawson Carroll to improve the village as a memorial to his late uncle George. Many of the buildings in the village were built at this time.
Lough Ree and Saints Island
Lough Ree said to be the fifth largest lake in Ireland offers a wide variety of amenity, historic and tourist attractions to the visitor. An old poet sung of Lough Ree and its thousand Islands. While this is obviously poetic exaggeration, nevertheless the lake has many fascinating islands, including Iniscleraun, Inisbofin and The Black Islands on the Longford side. There are a variety of early Christian and Viking remains to be found. The shores of Lough Ree have long been regarded as an exciting habitat for wild flowers. The Shell Guide to the Shannon has excellent notes on the flora and fauna of the area. The lake is a noted angling area and caters for sailing, boating and cruising.
Saints Island
On Saints Island stand the ruins of an Augustinian monastery. It flourished during the fourteenth century under the scholarly Abbot, Augustin Magraidin, but the ravages of time took their toll and the site lay derelict for centuries. Augustin Magaidrin was described as a sage during his lifetime in divine and worldly wisdom. Magaidrin was the author of an important manuscript collection of the lives of Irish Saints which has been a valuable source for later writers. The work is preserved in the Rawlinson collection of manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Magaidrin also compiled the Annals of the Abbey of All Saints, Lough Ree, listed by the Four Masters as one of their sources. It is also available in the Bodhleian Library. Magaidrin died in 1405.
Saints Island has been linked to the mainland by a causeway for some years. This quiet water place is a favourite haunt of marsh birds. In spring the curlew, lapwing and various species of wild duck may be seen in great numbers.
Carrigglas Manor
Five kilometers north of Longford Town on the T15 stands stately Carrigglas Manor. A beautifully restored Gothic Revival style Manor house built by Thomas Lefroy in 1837 and which has been the Lefroy family seat ever since.
The romantically castellated and turreted house was designed by the prominent Irish architect Daniel Robertson of Kilkenny. The internationally acclaimed James Gandon designed the magnificent stable-yard; to-day it is the only surviving example of his agricultural work.
Chief Justice Thomas Lefroy who built the house was a youthful inamorato of the novelist Jane Austen, it being frequently suggested that the character Darcy in Pride and Prejudice was modelled on him. There is a costume and lace museum containing many memorabilia and artifacts depicting the Lefroy association with the manor and their Hugenot ancestry. This romantic castellated Manor, its impressive Gandon Stables, gardens and museum are open to the public. Guided tours are available from May to September.
Traditional Music and Craic in Longford
What could possibly be better after a walk than a traditional session and Longford can offer you some of the best Traditional music around. Longford also has a world famous Banjo festival.