Historic county of Ireland
Longford
An Longfort / County of Longford
Province: Leinster
Shannon waters west, bog and pasture spreading east.
Longford is a quiet north-Midland county whose strongest physical line is the Shannon. Along the western side, the river and Lough Ree create an extensive waterscape; eastwards lies predominantly low country of pasture, bog and small lakes.
There is little dramatic relief. The land rises only modestly towards the north-east, giving Longford a characteristic landscape of low horizons, wetland and open agricultural country. Water rather than mountain provides its defining geography.
- 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
The Shannon edge
The western side is dominated by the Shannon system and Lough Ree.
From that strong water boundary the landscape spreads eastwards across comparatively flat country rather than rising into a substantial upland interior.
Bog and lake country
Longford belongs firmly to the watery geography of the north Midlands.
Raised bog, wetlands, small lakes and slow rivers repeatedly interrupt the agricultural landscape and contribute to the county’s sense of openness.
Annaly beneath the county
The older territorial background includes Annaly, associated especially with the O’Farrells.
As elsewhere in Ireland, the later county framework developed across territory which already possessed older Gaelic identities.
County questions
Questions about Longford
Is Longford in Leinster?
Yes. Longford is one of the twelve geographic counties of Leinster, despite lying close to both Connacht and Ulster.
What does the name Longford mean?
It derives from longphort or longfort, a term associated with a fortified place or stronghold.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County Longford
- Local name
- An Longfort
- Province
- Leinster
- Alternative name
- County of Longford
- Foundation
- c.1583
Longford occupies a particularly interesting position at the meeting of wider provincial landscapes. Its geographic identity, however, remains unmistakably that of one county centred on Shannon-side and north-Midland lowland.