 |
County Longford
is 403 square miles of clear lakes, cruising waterways and ancient
boglands in the heart of the Midlands in Ireland. With a population
of just over 30,000, Longford is one of Ireland's smallest and
most picturesque counties.
Longford is seated
in the basin of the River Shannon and in the catchment area
of the River Erne - offering superb fishing for the pike angler
at Lough Ree, Lough Forbes and at the Gowna Lakes. The River
Inny is a favourite spot for fishing competitions. For the water
sport enthusiast, County Longford is an aquatic playground of
boating on the Shannon, canoeing on Lough Ree and cruising on
the Royal Canal.
Derived from the Irish 'Longford Ui Fearraill', referring to
the stronghold of the O'Farrell clan, Longford has some of Ireland's
oldest and best preserved peatlands. The Corlea Trackway, dating
back to the Iron Age, was discovered in the County Longford
bogs and is now on permanent display at the Exhibition Centre
in Corlea. County Longford boasts of a superb annual calendar
of festivals and events highlighting Irish culture and traditional
music.
Towns in County Longford
The county capital is Longford town. Other principle townships
are Granard, Edgeworthstown, Lanesborough, Ballymahon and the
Heritage village of Ardagh. Please see town guides for further
information.
Business
Information
The primary industry in County Longford is the services sector.
Now representing some 49% of the work force, this growth has
been illustrated by the relocation of the Department of Social
Welfare Special Care section to Longford. 21% of the county
is boglands. Bord Na Mona (Irish Peat Board) and the ESB are
very active in these areas, making use of the peat resource.
The ESB peat burning station at Lanesborough employs some 150
people. Manufacturing in the food and textiles industries is
a key sector in the local economy and employs 19% of the workforce.
County Longford has always had a strong indigenous engineering
background. Several overseas companies have made their base
in Longford including IgX Corporation Research Plant, IEC Electronics
Ltd and Tool and Triad Systems, all from the US.
| Helpful contact details for business enquiries |
Longford County Enterprise Board |
Tel: (353) 043 46572 |
| Longford
County Council |
Tel:
(353) 043 46231 |
| Leader
II Longford |
Tel:
(353) 043 45555 |
| Enterprise
Ireland Regional Office |
Tel:
(353) 0902 87100 |
| IDA
Ireland Regional Office |
Tel:
(353) 0902 72695 |
| Longford
Chamber of Commerce |
Tel:
(353) 043 47455 |
|
| Sources of finance applicable to business start
up, development and acquisition, and related agencies, are as
follows |
Credit Unions: |
Tel: (353) (0)1 490 8911 |
| National Irish Bank: |
Tel: (353) (0)1
678 5066 |
| Ulster Bank (Small Business Unit): |
Tel: (353) (0)1
677 7623 |
| Bank of Ireland Enterprise Support Unit: |
contact any
branch |
| Smurfit Job Creation Enterprise Fund |
Tel: (353) (0)1 478
4091 |
| |
The Dept. of
Enterprise, Trade and Employment:
TEL: (353) (0) 1 661
4444; www.irlgov.ie/entemp has extensive and
very helpful advice on all aspects of business and employment
in Ireland, including a business start up information pack
which is superbly put together and includes everything from
planning, funding, locating, employing people and development
businesses. |
| |
| Travel (see also town
guides) |
Ideally
located in the centre of Ireland, Longford is only 1 hours away
from Dublin. Primary routes pass through County Longford from
Dublin to the North West of Ireland. Irish Rail (Iarnrod Eireann)
run trains daily from Longford to Dublin and Sligo. Bus Eireann
operate a service across the county to all major destinations
in Ireland. The nearest seaport to Longford is Dublin. Rosslare
and Larne are both a 3 hour drive by road. Aer Rianta Dublin
is the closest international and domestic airport to County
Longford.
| Tourism, Leisure
and Accommodation |
| Please see
town guides |
| |
|
|
Back to Top
|
|
