Province of Leinster

County Longford

Known as The Slashers. No nickname appears in the standard reference. The Slashers is what is used, after Myles 'the Slasher' O'Reilly, who was killed at the bridge of Finnea in 1644. The origin is not settled.

Did you know? Beneath a Longford bog lay the Corlea trackway — a great oak road built in 148 BC, wide enough for wheeled carts, preserved perfectly for 2,000 years.

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Through the ages — who held Longford

8,000 BC – 4,001 BC Mesolithic hunter-gatherers The First Irish

4,000 BC – 2,501 BC Neolithic farming communities The Tomb Builders

2,500 BC – 501 BC Bronze Age Ireland The Age of Gold & Bronze

500 BC – AD 99 Iron Age Ireland The Iron Age

AD 100 – AD 399 Eblani Ptolemy's Ireland

AD 400 – 1168 Mide (Kingdom of Meath) The Five Fifths Patrick & the Rise of the Uí Néill Saints & Scholars The Viking Storm Norse Cities & the Rise of Brian Kings with Opposition

1169 – 1541 Annaly (O'Farrell) The Norman Invasion High Tide of the Colony The Gaelic Resurgence The Kildare Ascendancy

1542 – 1607 Kingdom of Ireland (Tudor crown) The Tudor Conquest

1608 – 1640 Kingdom of Ireland The Plantation of Ulster

1641 – 1652 Confederate Ireland Confederate Ireland & Cromwell

1653 – 1800 Kingdom of Ireland Ascendancy Ireland

1801 – 1915 United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland The Act of Union An Gorta Mór — The Great Famine Land & Liberty

1916 – 1921 Irish Republic (declared, contested) The Revolution

1922 – 1936 Irish Free State Partition — Free State & Northern Ireland

1937 – 1948 Ireland (Éire) Éire

1949 – 2026 Republic of Ireland The Republic & the Troubles Peace & the New Ireland

Clans & surnames of Longford

Coffey Ó Cobhthaigh Gaelic learned family · “descendant of Cobhthach, 'victorious'” McCormack Mac Cormaic Gaelic sept · “son of Cormac, 'charioteer'” O'Farrell Ó Fearghail Gaelic sept · “descendant of Fearghal, 'man of valour'” Quinn Ó Cuinn Gaelic sept · “descendant of Conn, 'chief'” Sheridan Ó Sirideáin Gaelic sept · “descendant of Sirideán, 'the seeker'” Tully Mac an Tuile / Ó Maoltuile Gaelic learned family · “son of the flood — 'of God's will'”

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On the ground in Longford

3 castles · Castle Forbes, County Longford, Coolamber Hall House, Granard Motte

Every pin is placed by its documented coordinates. All the monuments of Ireland →

Quick answers

What is the Irish name for County Longford?

An Longfort. Longford is one of the 12 counties of Leinster (Cúige Laighean).

Who ruled County Longford in the Middle Ages?

Around 1014 it was held by Mide (Kingdom of Meath); by 1450, Annaly (O'Farrell). The full era-by-era chronology is on this page.

What surnames come from County Longford?

Names historically associated with Longford include Coffey, McCormack, O'Farrell, Quinn, Sheridan, Tully.

Trace your ancestors in Longford

Free, from the holding institutions. How to begin: the six-step guide → · Spotted an error on this page? Suggest a correction.