Longford

Longford (Irish: an Longfort) is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 9,601 according to the 2011 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of Ireland's N4 and N5 National Primary Route roads, which means that traffic travelling between Dublin and County Mayo or North County Roscommon passes through the town. The station in Longford on the Dublin-Sligo line is important for commuters.

History

The town is built on the banks of the River Camlin (from Irish: Camlinn, meaning "crooked pool"), which is a tributary of the River Shannon. The name Longford is an anglicisation of the Irish Longphort, from long (meaning "ship") and port (meaning "port" or "dock"). This name was applied to many Irish settlements of Viking origin and eventually came to mean fort or camp in the Irish language, and so Longfort the modern Irish spelling, is the name of this town, which was one of the only Gaelic Irish market towns to arise without first being founded by Vikings or Normans.

County Longford

County Longford (Irish: Contae an Longfoirt) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 38,970 according to the 2011 census.

Geography and political subdivisions

With an area of 1,091 km² (421 sq mi) and a population of 38,970, Longford is the fourth smallest of the 32 counties in area and second smallest in terms of population. It is also the fourth smallest of Leinster’s 12 counties by size and smallest by population. It borders counties Cavan to the northeast, Westmeath to the east and southeast, Roscommon to the west and southwest and Leitrim to the northwest.

Towns and villages