Longford An Longfort
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53.727033° N 7.799778° W
Irish Grid Reference N135750
Statistics
Province:	Leinster
County:	County Longford
Elevation:	72 m (236 ft)
Population (2002)  - Town:  - Rural:	7,557 23,511
Website: www.longfordcoco.ie

Longford (An Longfort in Irish) is the county town of County Longford in the Midlands of Ireland. The town was originally set up by the Viking raiders as a Long Phort. From the Irish long meaning ship and phoirt meaning port/dock. The Celtic inhabitants of Ireland did not build towns but the town came under the sway of the local clan who 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 they founded there in 1400. Bullet for locations in Ireland, displays location and not area. ... Image File history File links Ireland_map_County_Longford_Magnified. ... GPS satellite in orbit The Global Positioning System (GPS), is the only fully-functional satellite navigation system. ... The Irish national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Ireland. ... During late Gaelic and early historic times Ireland was divided into provinces to replace the earlier system of the tuatha. ... Statistics Area: 19,774. ... The island of Ireland was historically divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: ). After the partition of Ireland in 1921, what became the Republic of Ireland comprised 26 of these, with Northern Ireland comprising the remaining six. ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Longford Code: LD Area: 1,091 km² Population (2006) 34,361 Website: www. ... Basic Definition In geography, the elevation of a geographic location is its height above mean sea level (or some other fixed point). ... Statistics Province: Leinster County Town: Longford Code: LD Area: 1,091 km² Population (2006) 34,361 Website: www. ... A priory is an ecclesiastical circumscription run by a prior. ... Events Henry IV quells baron rebellion and executes The Earls of Kent, Huntingdon and Salisbury for their attempt to have Richard II of England restored as King Jean Froissart writes the Chronicles Medici family becomes powerful in Florence, Italy Births December 25 - John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, Lord Lieutenant of...

According to the recently-published 2006 census, the town has a population of around 13,000. Approximately one-third of the county's population reside in the town. Longford's main industries are food production, sawmills, steelworking and the production of medical diagnostics. It is also 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 hub, with many retail outlets including UK multiples such as Tesco, Argos and Homebase, and German discount retailers, Aldi and Lidl. It is the cathedral town of the Roman Catholic diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. It's impressive cathedral was designed by William Byrne who also designed St. Paul's Church on Arran Quay in Dublin. The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is an alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon content between 0. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy, such as the Anglican, Catholic and some Lutheran churches, which serves as the central church of a diocese, and thus as a bishops seat. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ...

It also boasts a state-of-the-art 200 seater theatre, and a four screen multiplex cinema and restaurants giving the town a cosmopiltan feel. The mix and quality of housing is good and the Rural Renewal Scheme (1999-2006) has ensured that a steady supply of residential development has come on stream. 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 peace-keeping duties all around the world.

For golfers, Longford has a lovely 18-hole parkland course with excellent greens. Membership fees are very reasonable and the club has a refurbished modern clubhouse. Also within a 30-mile radius of the County, you can play quality championship courses such as the Nick Faldo-designed Lough Rynn, Glasson and the Slieve Russell. Nick Faldo on the cover of his autobiography. ...

Longford town is the second largest town on the N4 primary route between Dublin and Sligo. 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.

Transport

Longford is about 91 km from Sligo and 122 km from the capital city, Dublin. Sligo (Sligeach in Irish) is the county town of County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...

The town 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 commuter service to Dublin which is well utilised. Journeys to the capital by rail take about two hours. Most rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland, and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland. ...

There are a number of bus services to Dublin and inside the county locally provided by the state and private bus companies. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...

Longford is the point where the N4 road from Dublin to Sligo leaves the N5 road, which continues onwards to Westport, County Mayo. Traffic congestion is a problem in the town at weekends, as all motorists travelling on the N5 must pass through the town en-route to their destinations - only the N4 Sligo road has a bypass. The N4 road is a National primary route in the Republic of Ireland, running from Dublin to the northwest of Ireland and Sligo Town. ... The N5 road is a National Primary Route in the Republic of Ireland, connecting Dublin with Westport and the west of Ireland. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Castlebar Code: MO Area: 5,397 km² Population (2006) 123,648 Website: www. ...

Sports

The town has a wide range of sports clubs and facilities including GAA, rugby and tennis clubs, a league of Ireland soccer club, an indoor swimming pool and an 18-hole golf club.

However overall, the sport with most support in County Longford is Gaelic Football. The headquarters of the Longford Gaelic Athletic Association is at Pearse Park in the north of Longford town, with a newly developed 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 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 good tradition in secondary schools football (Colleges A), winning 29 Leinster and 4 All-Ireland titles (Hogan Cup). This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... // History Gaelic football Hurling External links Longford on Hoganstand. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

The main local Gaelic Athletic Association Club in Longford town is Cumman Flipideori Longfoirt (their name derives from a - possibly apocryphal - 17th century Irish soldier called Myles "the Slasher" O'Reilly) and is used in Irish for legal reasons. They have had mixed success in the top tow divisions of Gaelic football in Longford down the years at county level and have sporting facilities at Farneyhoogan in the south of the town, with all-weather and floodlit football pitches. The club also fields Hurling, Scór and other Gaelic Athletic Association Activities. As this is a community based organisation not just a sporting one. The club also has an impressive social centre in Farneyhoogan, including the Backstage Theatre. From this site Creche facilities are also provided for infants. The other GAA Club of the town is Shroid.

Longford town itself has a strong tradition in Irelands 4th most popular sport soccer, with the game being introduced in the late 19th century due to the town being a military base during British rule. Longford Town football club were founded in 1924 and were elected to the League of Ireland in 1984. Their ground is at Flancare Park, in the townland of Mullolagher to the west of the town on the Strokestown Road. Previously they had been based in Abbeycartron in the north of the town. Longford Town have 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 and Liechtenstein opposition, although without success. The striker (wearing red jersey) has run past the defender (in white jersey) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to stop the ball. ... Longford Town FC is an Irish football club playing in the Football League of Ireland. ... The Football League of Ireland, usually known simply as the League of Ireland or the Eircom League (from the leagues sponsorship by Irish telcom Eircom), is a league of football clubs in the Republic of Ireland. ... Strokestown (Béal na mBuillí in Irish) is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. ... The FAI Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland. ... The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams, organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). ...

Longford is represented in basketball in the National League by Longford Falcons. The club has had a successful history with numerous Leinster and national titles at junior level. They are based at the Mall Sports Complex in the east of the town. Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ...

Longford town also hosts a rugby club, Longford R.F.C., whose grounds are at Demesne in the north of the town and who participate in Leinster junior leagues, as well as a 25-metre swimming pool at Market Square in the centre of the town. A rugby union scrum. ...

Education

Longford town has a number of primary schools (for ages 4-12) and three secondary schools (for ages 12-18) - 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). Longford town has three excellent secondary schools including a mixed vocational school, which is supported by a large number of national schools including a Gaelscoil. The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy (RSM) is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland in 1831. ... Templemichael College, formerly known as Longford Vocational School, is a mixed school in Longford, Ireland. ... A vocational school, providing vocational education and also sometimes referred to as a trade school or career college, and school was operated for the express purpose of giving its students the skills needed to perform a certain job or jobs. ...

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. While the school only briefly functioned as a seminary, it served for many years as a boarding school, although also admitting day students. The boarding school was discontinued after the millennium and the school is now purely a day school, with the largest student enrolment in County Longford. school, known locally as Mel's, is best-known for its success on a national level with Gaelic Football, Athletics, Soccer, Basketball and to a lesser extent Rugby. Their is one more school, which is Longford C.E. Primary school. The school has many interests such as Chior, Keyboard, Football and flute. TEACHERS HEAD: Mrs. Margret Mathews, Years 3,4,5 and 6 teacher Mrs. Christien Brown, Help Teachers: Mrs. Wendy Venison, Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Lynn Almond. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ...

See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland