Longford Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Town and Country Homes Association represent over 1000 quality approved Bed and Breakfast accommodations in every county in Ireland including Longford and the town of Longford. Our Longford B&B's offer comfort and value for money and you can be guaranteed of a warm welcome and kind hospitality when staying in Town and Country Homes accommodation in Longford. Whether you wish to stay in town or in the country, we have a bed and breakfast in Longford to suit you.

Click here to Book a B&B in Longford

Longford Town, County Longford Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Longford (An Longfort in Irish) is the county town of County Longford in the Midlands of Ireland. 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. There is an excellent selection of Bed and Breakfast accommodation available in Longford. 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.

History

The town was originally founded by Viking raiders as Long Phoirt, from the Irish long meaning ship and phoirt meaning port or dock. 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. Longford is the Cathedral town for the Catholic diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.

Transport
 
Longford Railway StationLongford is about 91 km from Sligo and 122 km from Dublin. It 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, 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. There are a large number of bus services to Dublin and inside the county locally provided by the state and private bus companies.

Longford is the point where the N4 road from Dublin to Sligo leaves the N5 road, which continues onwards to Westport, County Mayo. 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 Aerodrome receives a regular influx of small general aviation aircraft, including the Cessna 182 and 150. 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. After a day exploring Longford, why not book a B&B and relax, while your host at the bed and breakfast looks after your every need? 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.

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. A new swimming pool was opened in Longford in 2007.

The sport with most support in County Longford is Gaelic 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 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).

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. After a days golfing, we recommend you relax in the comfort of a Town and Country Homes approved Bed and Breakfast.

Longford is represented in basketball in the National League by the Longford Falcons. 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.

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.

Tourism
 
The Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre is located near to Longford, in Kenagh. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

Click here to Book a B&B in Longford

Bed and Breakfast Longford, Longford B&B, Accommodation in Longford.