County Longford Tourist Attractions List of sites and attractions in County Longford

Longford (Irish: An Longfort, meaning ‘The Ship Dock’) is the county town of County Longford in the Midlands of Ireland. According to the 2006 census, the town has a population of around 13,000. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. The town was originally founded by Viking raiders as Long Phoirt, from the Irish long meaning ship and phoirt meaning port or dock. The Celtic inhabitants of Ireland did not build towns but the town came under the sway of the local clan which controlled the south and central part of the county of Longford (formerly the Kingdom of Anghaile or Annaly) and hence, the town is referred to occasionally as Longphort Uí Fhearghail (Fort of O'Farrell), a Dominican priory founded there in 1400. Longford is the Cathedral town for the Catholic diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois.

The Cistercian Abbey at Abbeyshrule, in the picturesque valley of the River Inny, was founded in 1150, one of the first in the country, following rapidly on the success of Mellifont. The Abbey was founded by the O'Farrells, and survived a destructive fire in 1476 but was eventually closed by Queen Elizabeth I following the Tudor suppression of the monasteries. The land was granted to Robert Dillon, Earl of Roscommon. The adjoining graveyard contains the shaft of the only surviving High Cross in CountyLongford.

Saint Mel's Cathedral is a nineteenth century Renaissance style building of grey limestone. The Saint's crosier is preserved in the diocesan museum at the rear of the cathedral.

The Augustinian monastery of Abbeyderg, about 5 km from Keenagh, was founded in the 13th century by Gormgall O'Quinn. It was destroyed in 1567. The remains of Maiolin O'Mulgonry, who has been described as Chief Ollamh and poet of Ireland were buried here.

This house at Lehery, Lanesboro, County Longford was the home of Rev, Joseph Mulloly. Fr. Mullooly's claim to fame if as the archaeologist who discovered the ancient temple of Mithras in Rome beneath more recent buildings which dated from the twelfth century. This is one of the most interesting and popular monuments of Christian history, and one of Rome's greatest attractions. Fr. Mullooly died in 1880 and is buried in the cemetery of San Lorenzo.