Discover a wide range of activities in Longford and the surrounding areas. Check out the following things to do.
Longford County is a beautiful, peaceful place, ideal for a restful getaway. The scenery is unrivalled – a rural idyll, the perfect location for an escape from the stresses and strains of the workaday world. But, if you are looking for more excitement, there is lots to discover in County Longford – just take a look.
Longford has some of the best coarse and game fishing, and the keen fisherman is spoilt for choice, with over thirty lakes, rivers and canals available.These include the River Shannon, the Inny River, the Camlin River, Lough Gowna and Lough Ree.There are numerous locations capable of being enjoyed from the shore, giving excellent opportunity to catch pike, bream, roach, tench and perch.
The white water conditions of the The River Inny at Ballymahon are a great opportunity, accessible all year round, for enthusiastic canoeists, and the local Inny Kayak Club has qualified instructors to teach those who seek training.
There are a number of equestrian centres in County Longford. AIRE-approved Mosstown Riding Centre is an indoor facility, accommodating a wide range of activities. As it is an all-weather centre, with both indoor and outdoor arenas, visitors are able to take part whatever the weather. And, for the cross-country riders, or pony and hunting clubs, the 40-acres Hunter Trials Course in Moatfarrell, Ballinalee, offers an enjoyable challenge.
The stunning landscapes of County Longford are ideal to explore through walking. The North of the County is untamed and wild, with lakes and hills; the South of the County has Lake Lough Ree on the River Shannon. And, for leisurely woodland strolls, there is Derrycasson Wood at Mullanleaghta and Newcastle Wood at Ballymahon, areas particularly noted for woodland walking.
Abbeyshrule has an aviation tradition dating back to the 1950s, and the airfield has been established since 1977. To this day, Abbeyfield Airfield attracts light aircraft enthusiasts, and there are two flying clubs, based at the airfield, offering flying tuition. The airfield also hosts Ireland’s longest-running air show, The Abbeyshrule Air Show, each year, on the second Sunday of August.
It is well established that the heart of Ireland is a golfer’s paradise, and Longford is well-positioned for some of Ireland’s top golf courses. Less than 5 minutes from Viewmount House is County Longford Golf Club. Founded in 1894, it is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland. The 18-hole parkland course is picturesque, with fine views over the countryside and Longford town. The course, which is playable throughout the year, measures over 6700 yards and has a par of 72. Trolley and buggy hire are available, and the clubhouse has a bar and restaurant.
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and Britain and much is written in songs and poems in tribute to its beauty. It is navigable by pleasure craft and is interlinked with the Grand Canal network.
Lough Ree, the fifth largest lake in Ireland, is popular as a destination for fishing and sailing and also as a place to observe flora and fauna. The shores of the lake are a wonderful environment for wild flowers to flourish and the quiet waters attract marsh birds. Lough Ree is also notable for its numerous interesting islands, including Saints Island. Joined to the mainland by a causeway, Saints Island features the ruins of an Augustinian monastery.
The Royal Canal spans 90 miles from Dublin to Tarmonbarry, through the Counties Longford, Westmeath, Meath, Kildare and Dublin.
Just half an hour’s drive from Longford sits historic Belvedere House – a stunning early-18th Century property, surrounded by 160 acres of parkland. Belvedere House was the home of Robert Rochfort, the Earl of Belevedere. The visitor centre at the attraction recounts the story of how Rochfort imprisoned his second wife, Mary Molesworth, for 31 years; the seduction of Lady Cloncurry by Sir John Pier (as immortalised in poetry by Sir John Betjemen); and of the creation of the largest man-made folly in Ireland – the sham ruin known as “The Jealous Wall”.
In 1984, an important discovery was made in a bog at Corlea, near Kenagh village in County Longford – a trackway of large oak planks, dating back to the early Iron Age. A further twenty trackways were later discovered nearby in the bog. An Exhibition Centre was built in 1994 to allow visitors to appreciate the archaeological significance of the find in terms of widening our understanding of the early civilisations in Ireland.
From the 1600s up until 1979, Strokestown Park was the home of the Packenham-Mahon family and still has the majority of the original furnishings. The walled pleasure garden was restored in 1997, with sensitivity, to its original splendour. The Famine Museum displays original documents and letters regarding famine on the Strokestown Park Estate. This explains, and brings immediacy to, the history of the Great Irish Famine, and examines parallels with modern-day experience of famine in developing countries.
In the 1800s, the original house was remodelled, by the second Earl of Longford, as a huge Gothic revival castle. It is home to a large collection of furniture, portraits, and 19th Century gadgetry, such as a Victorian kitchen tools. The gardens and grounds feature two lakes, a fernery walk and grotto, and a Chinese garden. There is also a walled garden with flower borders and are many splendid trees, including some fine examples of 200 year old Irish yews.
Located in the former R.I.C Barracks, the centre has an exhibition which presents the events of the 8th of September 1798, through eyewitness accounts from local people and officers of the opposing armies. It explains the background that led to the events, as well as the significance, both nationally and internationally, of the collision of forces, which decided the course taken by the rebellion.
Since its construction between 1840 and 1856, St Mel’s Cathedral has been a focal point in the landscape of Longford and in the lives of the community. But on Christmas Day 2009 a fire devastated St Mel’s Cathedral. The blaze tore through the building, leaving little within but destruction.
Thankfully, it transpired that some aspects of the cathedral were able to be rescued, such as statutes and artefacts, and St Mel’s Cathedral reopened on Christmas Eve in 2014. Most incredibly, it proved possible to restore the two most prestigious stained glass windows, which had been originally designed by the acclaimed Harry Clarke Studios in 1931.
And there was further hope for St Mel’s Cathedral as a €30 million restoration project enabled the Cathedral to rise again, more magnificent than before. The fortunately-saved features were then resettled with the new designed aspects. The restored Cathedral includes a Carrara marble altar sculpted by Tom Glendon, a silver tabernacle created by Imogen Stuart and Vicki Donovan, a pipe organ crafted by Fratelli Ruffatti, and stained glass windows designed by Kim en Joong.
uilt in 1620, this magnificent manor retains to this day its stately beauty. This historic identity is present throughout the house, in the character of the library and the breakfast room, and particularly in the guest sitting room. The house also has a contemporary identity as place of modern luxury.
Here, you will unwind into the exceptionally relaxing atmosphere, a restful world where all you hear is peace, quiet and birdsong.