A B O U T   L O N G F O R D

Reasons to choose Longford as
a place to work and live

Longford is one of the smallest counties in Ireland, and therein lies one of its greatest strengths. The sense of community is very strong. The sense of local pride is immense.

Longford people take pride in their traditions and heritage; they appreciate the rural beauty that surrounds them, the unspoiled environment, the relaxed way of life. Longford residents know that they are experiencing a Quality of Life that simply doesn't exist anymore in the cities and larger urban centers around Ireland.

The high level of co-operation and co-ordination that exists between the different agencies and support groups throughout the County is almost unique in Ireland. There is a uniformity of purpose in terms of improving all aspects of life for its inhabitants, making Longford an attractive location for new enterprise.

The different development agencies are working hard to attract inward investment into the County. They recognise that continued economic development is vital in order to provide sustainable employment for Longford people, to provide opportunities for school leavers and graduates, to create vibrant and growing urban centres and to generate wealth for all the people of the County.

The time for County Longford
has arrived

The vast improvements in the road and rail networks that serve the County, the high-tech fibre optic links, the value that remains in land and house prices and its location in the heart of Ireland make Longford an ideal strategic location from which to base operations for any business.

Longford Diaspora is available in numbers, looking for opportunities to return to live and work within the County. These people are highly skilled, with experience gained from all corners of the globe. They are willing and waiting to return.

Longford is located along two of the busiest corridors in the Country, North/South and Dublin/Northwest. It is less than ninety minutes from the Capital, Dublin and has land and house prices that compare very favourably with anywhere in the Country.

Infrastructure

Industrial Land and Workspace  

There are industrial sites and land banks zoned for industrial use in and around the following towns:

• Longford
• Ballymahon
• Granard
• Edgeworthstown
• Lanesboro

The development agencies encourage inward investment to the County and Longford County Council and the IDA facilitate this type of development through the provision of suitably serviced land banks. Longford County Council also provides incubation units for first time entrepreneurs.

Education  

County Longford has ten secondary schools including three vocational Schools and two Community Colleges. Longford school leavers going forward to third level education can easily access a wide range of universities and colleges in Dublin, Galway, Athlone and Sligo. Athlone Institute of Technology is the closest college to the County and has an excellent reputation for Accountancy, Polymer and Electronic courses. Its Business Supports unit provides important business development and research supports to businesses in the region.

Rail  

Longford is located along the main Dublin to Sligo passenger and freight rail line, which has been extensively upgraded in recent years. Several passenger trains including an early bird service operate between Longford and Dublin each day. Longford station also boasts full gantry facilities and is the Regional freight depot for the midlands.

Roads  

Longford is located on the N4 National Primary Route, the main road artery between Dublin and Sligo. It is also the point where the National Routes, the N4 and the NS converge making it an important axis for traffic travelling from East to West. Road links to all the major centers, especially Dublin, continue to be upgraded, and the County's central location makes it an ideal base for companies distributing products throughout Ireland. Dublin Port and Rosslare Port can also be reached by the national road network.

Air  

Longford has easy access to two international airports - Knock (65 miles) and Dublin (76 miles). Longford also has a good local airfield at Abbeyshrule, which has an active flying club.

Planning & Development  

The Local Authorities are available for consultation in relation to proposals for all development. The Local Authority always seeks to adopt a pro development stance. Longford County Council continues to develop serviced land banks, which are available for suitable industrial development.

General Services  

Longford boasts a 25-m indoor swimming pool, multipurpose sports hall and gymnasium. There are six branch public libraries in the County and reference facilities for individual, school and industry use. Extensive EU referenced material and free Internet access are available throughout the library network.

Information and Communication Technologies  

Longford is served by a two-way broad band fibre optic network, which delivers crystal clear connections worldwide. Longford is ideally situated for an international call centre and has built a reputation as one of the main IT centers in the midlands.

The indigenous IT companies that have based their operations in Longford believe that their central location is an advantage in attracting quality personnel. All the development agencies are extremely supportive of new clients in this sector.

County Longford is perhaps one
of Ireland's best-kept secrets.  

It is a beautiful and vibrant County situated in the centre of Ireland. It is also the focal point of the northern midlands where the provinces of Leinster, Ulster and Connaught all converge. It is relatively rural in nature, but has several dynamic urban centres of various sizes located around the County.

A little known fact about the County is that it is bordered all along its western border by Lough Ree and the River Shannon. The Shannon is Ireland's longest waterway and links a host of minor waterways and canals including the Royal Canal which dissects the Southern half of the County before entering the Shannon at the beautiful village of Clondra. The Shannon is one of our greatest assets. It is a tremendous resource for leisure activities and a great attraction for fishermen and tourists from Ireland and abroad.

There are five main towns in County Longford:

• Longford
• Granard
• Edgeworthstown
• Ballymahon
• Lanesboro

Longford Town  

Longford town is the County town, the administrative headquarters of the local authority and can be described as a bustling market town with a dynamic commercial centre. The town (population circa 7000) is surrounded by available land zoned for industrial and residential purposes. All development is carefully planned with purposeful integration between the various sectors, residential, commercial and industrial being a top priority.

Longford town has three excellent secondary schools including a mixed vocational school, which is supported by a large number of national schools including a Gaelscoil. The town has a wide range of sports clubs and facilities including GAA, rugby and tennis clubs, a league of Ireland soccer club, an indoor swimming pool and an 18-hole golf club.

It also boasts a state-of- the- art 200 seater theatre, a four screen multiplex cinema and is host to an array of restaurants giving the town a cosmopolitan feel.

The mix and quality of housing is very good and the Rural Renewal Scheme (1999-2002) has ensured that a good supply of residential development has come on stream. Longford Town has a decentralised government department which employs approximately 240 people, the majority of whom have successfully relocated to Longford from Dublin and elsewhere.

Longford has an army barracks employing approximately 180 soldiers many of whom are involved in peace- keeping duties all around the world.

For golfers, Longford has a lovely 18-hole parkland course with excellent greens. Membership fees are very reasonable and the club has a refurbished modern clubhouse. Also within a 30-mile radius of the County, you can play quality championship courses such as Mullingar, Glasson and The Slieve Russell.

Longford Town is the second largest town on the N4 primary route between Dublin and Sligo. It is also the axis for the convergence of the N4 and the NS primary routes which means that traffic travelling between Dublin and Counties Mayo and Roscommon passes through the town.

Granard  

Granard is the second largest town in County Longford and serves as one of the larger towns on the N55 route from the Midlands Region to the Northern Counties. Its location offers easy access to the North East and Northern Ireland.

Granard is a well-developed urban town with a fairly strong industrial base. (Population circa 1,500). It offers significant opportunities for both commercial and industrial development.

Granard, which is served administratively by Granard Town Commissioners, has four national schools and two secondary schools. It is surrounded by beautiful lakes such as Lough Gowna and forests such as Derrycassin Woods. Granard has some large local employers including Pat the Baker and HKM Milling. It also hosts the countries largest Harp festival every August, which draws internationally renowned harpists from around the globe.

Edgeworthstown  

Edgeworthstown is situated in County Longford, just over the border from County Westmeath, on the national primary route, the N4. Located almost equidistant between Mullingar and Longford town, Edgeworthstown is primed to become a key industrial centre as development land between Dublin and Mullingar becomes very scarce. Edgeworthstown has some large local employers including C&D Petfoods and Paul & Vincents.

The town has a long association with the celebrated family of Edgeworths, who first settled here in 1583. Maria the novelist is best known for work such as 'Castle Rackrent'.

Ballymahon  

Ballymahon is the largest town in the South of the County (pop circa 1,500). It is an important location in the centre of the three larger towns, Longford, Mullingar and Athlone. Athlone Institute of Technology is one of the top polymer science centres in the country, and produces a broad range of top quality graduates, many of them natives of County Longford. Ballymahon is an ideal base for firms with strong Research & Development departments who may wish to foster links with a third level institute. Ballymahon has some key employers in the town including Autotote and Kepak.

The conversion of the ruins of the old flourmill in the town into a top class block of apartments is an example of the innovative type developments that are happening in the County at present.

Ballymahon is synonymous with the famous poet, Oliver Goldsmith. The Goldsmith trail runs from Ballymahon down to Glasson in Westmeath and this connection together with the town's location on the River Inny offers considerable tourism potential.

Lanesboro  

Lanesboro is set at the top of Lough Ree, one of the three main lakes on the River Shannon.

Lanesboro has been chosen as a location for a new power station and its close association with Bord na Mona has led to a very highly skilled workforce in the area with electrical and engineering skills.

Lanesboro is renowned for its excellent fishing. The famous 'Hot Water Stretch' adjacent to the peat fuelled power station has attracted fishermen from all over Europe. The riverbank has been completely revamped and now has 60 fishing stands, which are completely booked for most of the fishing season.

The town offers considerable tourism potential and each year it hosts an Environmental Summer School, which draws people from home and abroad.

Ardagh  

The small and picturesque village of Ardagh is located in South County Longford. An architecturally renowned estate village, it is now fully restored and enhanced following 40 years of continuous and dedicated community effort, and was winner of the National Tidy Towns competition for a record three times as well as winning several top international awards.

The County has several other idyllic villages such as Newtowncashel, Abbeyshrule, Newtownforbes, Kenagh, Legan, Drumlish and Abbeylara, each with its own special character and each offering a quality and way of life that is long forgotten in many of the more developed counties around Ireland. .