County Dossier
Longford
A midland county of bog, river and old Gaelic territories.
Longford lies in the north midlands, with the River Shannon forming much of its western boundary and a landscape of bog, low pasture and small lakes stretching eastward.
At a glance
Longford at a glance
A midland county of bog, river and old Gaelic territories.
- Formed from Mid-Shannon kingdom
- County by the late 16th century
- Shannon edge and lake country
- Area: 421 sq miles / 1,090 km²
- Population: 39,000
- County Top: Corn Hill (912ft / 278m)
County Geography
Longford meets Leitrim to the north-west, Cavan to the north-east, Westmeath to the east and south, and Roscommon across the Shannon to the west. The county is shaped by the long western river line, the low bog and lake interior, and the slight rise toward the Cavan side in the north-east.
Longford is easy to recognise through the Shannon edge, central bogland, and slight north-eastern rise.
Map Reference
View Longford on the map
Longford is the county. The map shows its boundary, places, and neighbouring counties.
The county.
The county boundary.
Nearby counties and places.
Places and routes
Longford, Granard, Ballymahon, Edgeworthstown, and Lanesborough show the county from its central town and northern district to its eastern line and Shannon-side edge.
Connections
The county’s routes have long crossed through Longford town, branched toward Granard and Edgeworthstown, and run west to the Shannon shore at Lanesborough and Ballymahon. Movement follows the same town, bogland, and Shannon-side pattern.
Names
- Longford
- County Longford
- County of Longford
- An Longfort
An Longfort is the Irish form of Longford. County Longford is the formal historical style, the county name points to a fortified place, and the older background reaches into Tethbae and Annaly in the north midlands.
Longford became a county in the late sixteenth century, but its Shannon-side and bogland geography had already marked it off as a recognisable district. That north-midland landscape still gives the historic county a clear shape.