Corlea Trackway Visitor CentreAn oak road was laid across the bog here in 148 BC. Eighteen metres of it are kept indoors at the centre in Kenagh.
An Longfort
Longford
Quiet canal and Shannon country, strong on bog archaeology and small towns.
- Leinster
- 20 places
- 12 events in the next 30 days
- 5 more listings
The list
Top 10 things to do in Longford
Longford is the county people drive through on the way somewhere else, and it has fewer big attractions than most. We went looking twice and found twenty we would stand over, rather than padding the list out with bike hire and a holiday village. An oak road laid across the bog in 148 BC is the one to see first.
Corlea Trackway Visitor CentreAn oak road was laid across the bog here in 148 BC. Eighteen metres of it are kept indoors at the centre in Kenagh.
St Mel's CathedralThis 19th century cathedral on the main street burned on Christmas Day 2009 and reopened, rebuilt, in 2014.
Granard Motte and BaileyIreland's largest Norman motte rises steep and grassed above Granard, with a statue of St Patrick on top of it.
Abbeyshrule Cistercian AbbeyAbbey · AbbeyshruleCistercians founded this abbey in 1150. What is left is roofless, with a graveyard, a high cross shaft and a four storey tower house thirty metres off.- Saints Island and the Priory of All SaintsMonastic site · NewtowncashelThe ruined Augustinian priory sits on a Lough Ree peninsula at the end of a narrow causeway. The church and burial ground are open, the walls are not for climbing.
- Royal Canal Greenway, LongfordGreenway · Longford townLongford carries the western end of the Royal Canal towpath, from Abbeyshrule towards the Shannon.
Richmond Harbour, ClondraHarbour · ClondraClondra holds the last lock on the Royal Canal, where it joins the Camlin and then the Shannon.- Inchcleraun Monastic SiteIsland · NewtowncashelThree churches and a priory stand inside an oval dry stone wall on an island in Lough Ree. You go by boat, and the farmland on it is private.
Corn HillMountain · DrumlishLongford's highest point is 278m, between Drumlish and Ballinalee, with a 3.2km marked trail up to two cairns on the summit.
Rathcline CastleCastle · LanesboroughThe 17th century castle and its bawn wall with corner towers stand ruined south of Lanesborough, burnt during the Williamite wars.
Show 10 more
- Knights and Conquests Heritage CentreMuseum · GranardThe heritage centre sits at the foot of the motte in Granard, on the Normans in the midlands.
Aughnacliffe Portal TombMegalithic tomb · AughnacliffeTwo capstones, the larger 3.2m by 2.3m, in a valley outside the village. The path to it crosses private farmland, so close the gates.- Newcastle WoodsForest · Ballymahon325 hectares of Coillte woodland on both banks of the Inny outside Ballymahon, with 28km of forest road and a 400m Access for All walk.
- Maria Edgeworth CentreMuseum · EdgeworthstownEdgeworthstown's old schoolhouse is now a centre on the novelist Maria Edgeworth and her family.
- Ardagh Heritage and Creativity CentreMuseum · ArdaghThe old schoolhouse at Ardagh is a heritage centre now, in a planned estate village of cut stone cottages around a green.
Ballinamuck Visitor CentreMuseum · BallinamuckThe 1798 Battle of Ballinamuck, told in the village Memorial Hall, a former RIC barracks converted in 1948. Visits are arranged in advance.- Glen Lough Nature ReserveLake · EdgeworthstownThe reserve sits on the edge of Edgeworthstown, with paths around a series of ponds and a lot of birds on them.
- Casey's Bogwood SculpturesMuseum · NewtowncashelThe workshop at Barley Harbour on Lough Ree shows sculpture cut out of bog oak.
- Derrycassin WoodForest · GranardMixed woodland on the shore of Lough Gowna north of Granard, with signed walks through beech and oak.
- Longford townTown · Longford townLongford sits on the River Camlin, with the cathedral at one end of Main Street and a barracks site at the other.
Where they are
Tap a pin to open the place.
7 of the 20 places are on the map. The rest are listed above.
What’s on in Longford
Coming up, soonest first.
Wednesday 30th September
Saturday 3rd October
Saturday 10th October
Thursday 15th October
Friday 16th October
Saturday 17th October
More to see in Longford
5 more places from Fáilte Ireland’s own listings, each linked to its official site.
- Abbeyshrule MonasteryAbbey or church · AbbeyshruleAbbeyshrule was one of the largest abbeys in Leinster.
- Knights and Conquests Exhibition CentreMuseum · GranardVisit The Knights and Conquests Exhibition Centre in Granard, County Longford, where history comes alive in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.
- Abbeyderg Abbey and GraveyardAbbey or church · LongfordIn the 13th century, Gormgall O’Quinn founded an Augustinian monastery in the village of Abbeyderg, which is situated about 5km from Kenagh in County Longford.
- Creative ArdaghMuseum · LongfordLearn about Irish mythology, early Christianity, local writers and life 100 years ago at Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre.
- TubberpatrickAbbey or church · LongfordThe old cemetery at Tubberpatrick is found just 5km from Ballinamuck, County Longford.
Getting to Longford
- By air
- Dublin Airport, Ireland West (Knock) Airport
- By rail
- Stations at Longford and Edgeworthstown, on the Dublin to Sligo line.
- By road
- The N4, N5 and N55.
Questions
What are the best things to do in Longford?
Our top three are Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre, St Mel's Cathedral and Granard Motte and Bailey. The full list of twenty is at the top of this page, and every place on it has a page of its own.
What can you do in Longford for free?
Walks, beaches and open ground cost nothing to visit. On our list that includes <a href="/things-to-do/longford/royal-canal-greenway-longford/">Royal Canal Greenway, Longford</a>, <a href="/things-to-do/longford/corn-hill/">Corn Hill</a>, <a href="/things-to-do/longford/aughnacliffe-portal-tomb/">Aughnacliffe Portal Tomb</a> and <a href="/things-to-do/longford/newcastle-woods/">Newcastle Woods</a>. Check parking and access with the place before you go.
What is on in Longford?
41 events are listed in Longford over the coming weeks, from festivals to markets and gigs. See them all.
