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LONGFORD
Longford 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 buid 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. Today's town has a population of around 9,000.
Longford's main industries are food production, sawmills,
steelworking and the production of medical diagnostics.
It is also the major services centre for the whole of
the county as well as the location of the Civil Service
Offices for the Department of Social Welfare. This is
one of the reasons for the large proportion of foreign
national asylum seekers in the town. The town is also a
local commercial centre, with many retail outlets. It is
the cathedral town of the Roman Catholic diocese of
Ardagh and Clonmacnois.
It also boasts a state-of- the- art 200 seater theatre,
a four screen multiplex cinema and is host to an array
of restaurants giving the town a cosmopolitan feel. The
mix and quality of housing is very good and the Rural
Renewal Scheme (1999-2002) has ensured that a good
supply of residential development has come on stream.
Longford Town has a decentralised government department
which employs approximately 240 people, the majority of
whom have successfully relocated to Longford from Dublin
and elsewhere. Longford has an army barracks employing
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
Mullingar, Glasson and The Slieve Russell.
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 NS primary
routes which means that traffic travelling between
Dublin and Counties Mayo and Roscommon passes through
the town. |
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