Longford An Longfort
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53°43′37″N 7°47′59″W / 53.727033, -7.799778
Irish grid reference N135750
Statistics
Province:	Leinster
County:	County Longford
Area:	1,091 km²
Elevation:	72 m (236 ft)
Population (2006)  - Town:  - Environs:	7,557 (2002)  23,511 (2002)
Website: www.longfordcoco.ie

Longford (An Longfort in Irish) is the county town of County Longford in the Midlands of Ireland. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth The Irish grid reference system is a system of geographic Grid references commonly used in Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland Leinster (ˈlɛnstər Irish: Laighin, lainʲ one of the Provinces of Ireland, lies in the east of Ireland and comprises the counties of Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae County Longford (Contae an Longfoirt is a county situated in the Irish Midlands, in northwest Leinster. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. County Longford (Contae an Longfoirt is a county situated in the Irish Midlands, in northwest Leinster. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world According to the 2006 census, the town has a population of around 13,000. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town.

Longford town is the second largest town on the N4 National primary route between Dublin and Sligo. Road standard The road is a Dual carriageway from O'Connell Bridge, Dublin to Mullingar (including the motorway section A national primary road (Príomhbhóithre Náisiúnta is a Road Classification in the Republic of Ireland. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Sligo (disambiguation Sligo ( (ˈslaɪɡoʊ "sly-go" Irish ˈɕlʲɪɟəx is the County town of County Sligo in Ireland. It is also the axis for the 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.

Contents 1 History 2 Transport 3 Amenities and commerce 4 Sports 5 Education 6 Tourism 7 Notable people 8 References 9 See also

History

The town was originally founded by Viking raiders as Long Phoirt, from the Irish long meaning ship and phoirt meaning port or dock. A longphort is a term used in Ireland for a Viking ship enclosure or shore fortress The Celtic inhabitants of Ireland did not build towns but the town 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 Annaly) and hence, the town is referred to occasionally as Longphort Uí Fhearghail (Fort of O'Farrell), a Dominican priory founded there in 1400. Annaly (Irish Angaile) was a medieval lordship in central Ireland The Order of Preachers ( Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is A priory is a House of men or women under religious vows headed by a Prior or prioress Longford is the Cathedral town for the Catholic diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.

Transport

Longford is about 91 km from Sligo and 122 km from Dublin. Sligo (disambiguation Sligo ( (ˈslaɪɡoʊ "sly-go" Irish ˈɕlʲɪɟəx is the County town of County Sligo in Ireland. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. It lies on the Dublin-Sligo route of the Irish railway network, and is served by Sligo-Dublin intercity services. Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland 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. Longford railway station serves the town of Longford in County Longford. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 1855 ( MDCCCLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year ^[1]

There are a large number of bus services to Dublin and inside the county locally provided by the state and private bus companies. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland.

Longford is the point where the N4 road from Dublin to Sligo leaves the N5 road, which continues onwards to Westport, County Mayo. Road standard The road is a Dual carriageway from O'Connell Bridge, Dublin to Mullingar (including the motorway section Westport ( is a Town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is situated on the west coast of Ireland, at the south-east corner of Clew Bay While all motorists travelling on the N5 must pass through the town en-route to their destinations, there is little traffic congestion, except at peak times,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.

Longford's main air transport centre is located south-east of the town, near Abbeyshrule, at the local airport. Abbeyshrule ( is located in south-east County Longford, Ireland, on the Royal Canal. Abbeyshrule Aerodrome receives a regular influx of small general aviation aircraft, including the Cessna 182 and 150. Abbeyshrule Aerodrome is an airport located in south-east County Longford, Ireland, in the village of Abbeyshrule. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 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.

Amenities and commerce

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 employs approximately 180 soldiers, many of whom are involved in UN peace-keeping duties.

Longford's main industries are food production, sawmills, steelworking, generator retailing, cable making and the production of medical diagnostics. Steel is an Alloy consisting mostly of Iron, with a Carbon content between 0 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. Tesco Ireland Limited is a Supermarket company in the Republic of Ireland formed in Tesco plc's 1997 acquisition of the Irish retailing Argos is the largest general-goods Retailer in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland with over 700 stores Homebase is a British Home improvement store and Garden centre, with 320 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. For similarly named settlements see Aldie, short for " AL brecht DI scount" is a Discount Supermarket Lidl is a European discount Supermarket chain of German origin that operates 7000 stores Dunnes is a Supermarket and clothing retail chain based in the Republic of Ireland. It is the cathedral town of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise ( Irish: Deoise Ardach agus Cluan Mhic Nóis) is a Roman Catholic Diocese in Ireland. Its cathedral, dedicated to Saint Mel, the founder of the diocese of Ardagh, was designed by Patrick Byrne, who also designed St. Paul's Church on Arran Quay in Dublin. 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 The Diocese of Ardagh was established in 1111 at the Synod of Rathbreasail as the see for east Connacht. Patrick Byrne may refer to Patrick M Byrne, Overstockcom founder & CEO Pat Byrne (born 1956 former Irish football player and manager

Sports

The town has a wide range of sports clubs and facilities including the Gaelic Athletic Association, rugby and tennis clubs, an Eircom Premier League soccer club (for 8 years although relegated last season), two indoor swimming pools, an extensive gym and a 17-hole golf course. The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA) ( Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael /'kʊmˠən̪ˠ 'l̪ˠuh A new swimming pool was opened in Longford in 2007.

The sport with most support in County Longford is Gaelic football. Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of 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 County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA (Cummann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Contae An Longfort or Longford GAA is one of the 32 county boards 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. Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. The minor (under-18) Longford county team won the Leinster title in 2002 and their teams at under-21 level have reached several Leinster finals over the last few years (including 2006). See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. 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 (20, Fr. Manning Gaels are second with 15). The club's performance has dipped in the last few years but a recent resurgence led by manager John Murphy, has brought Slashers back to the top of Longford GAA. They were runners up to Abbeylara in the 2006 County Final and are favourites for the 2007 crown after a number of strong appearances.

Longford County boasted arguably the best Gaelic football team which did not win the Sam Maguire Cup in 1968. The Sam Maguire Cup often just called Sam ( Irish: Chorn Sam Maguire) is the name of the Cup that Gaelic football -teams play for in the final The team was narrowly beaten by Kerry in the all-Ireland 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. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries 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 town itself has a strong tradition in soccer, the game being introduced in the late 19th century. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered 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. Longford Town FC (Cumann Peile Bhaile Longfort is an Irish football club playing in the FAI First Division. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The FAI eircom League of Ireland is the Republic of Ireland 's current national football league system created following the merging of the FAI and the League Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) 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, Lal Donlon (Longford town and Arsenal), Mel 'Garrincha' Mulligan, John 'Hooky' O'Connor and the legendary Jimmy Clarke. Jimmy 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. Flancare Park is a soccer Stadium in Longford, Republic of Ireland. Strokestown (Béal na mBuillí is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. Previously, the club was based in the north of Abbeycartron 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 Bulgarian, Liechtenstein and Welsh opposition, though without success. The FAI Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons is a knock-out Association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian The Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a tiny doubly landlocked Alpine country in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland

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, Glasson and the Slieve Russell. Tournament career Faldo was born in Welwyn Garden City, England. Glasson may refer to Glassan, in County Westmeath Ireland Glasson Maryport, in Cumbria England Glasson Wigton

Longford is represented in basketball in the National League by the Longford Falcons. Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m 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 Market Square, in the centre of the town, and another swimming pool located in the LIFE Health And Fitness gym on Richmond Street. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short

Longford has an extensive mall sports complex. The complex contains a gym, both indoor and outdoor football and basketball grounds and major developments are currently underway at the complex. The developments include the development of a large swimming pool.

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). The Sisters of Mercy Scoil Mhuire, came to Longford from Mother House in Baggot In 2003 a new Building was erected The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy (RSM is an order of Catholic Women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland in Templemichael College formerly known as Longford Vocational School is a mixed school in Longford, Ireland. ATTENTION *** This article is not "Vocational education in the United States" Primary schools in Longford include a Gaelscoil. A gaelscoil (Plural gaelscoileanna) is an Irish -speaking School, often also Co-educational, usually found in Ireland, but outside An extensive adult education centre exists in Longford.

St. Mel's College [1] 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. The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise ( Irish: Deoise Ardach agus Cluan Mhic Nóis) is a Roman Catholic Diocese in Ireland. 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. Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of Football Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m

Tourism

The Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre is located near to Longford, in Kenagh. The Corlea Trackway is an Iron Age trackway or togher, near the village of Kenagh, south of Longford town County Longford, in the 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. This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. The River Shannon ( Sionainn or Sionna in Irish) is at 386 km (240 miles the longest river in Ireland. 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. University College Dublin (UCD (An Coláiste Ollscoile Baile Átha Cliath - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland Dublin (An 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. Bord na Móna ( lit Peat Board is a semi-state company in the Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946 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. 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.

There are a number of portal dolmens located around Longford.

Notable people

The mother of actor Mel Gibson, Anne Reilly Gibson, was born in Colmcille Parish, County Longford, Ireland. Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, AO (born January 3 1956 Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, AO (born January 3 1956 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. ^[2]

References

See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

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