Things to do in Longford
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Longford
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, with greenway weather, full boat schedules and every sight open.
Full season and festival season, when the good beds and Center Parcs fill first.
Shoulder months with autumn and spring colour, thinner boat schedules and Corlea opening or closing.
Quiet, wet and dark, with most rural sights closed or reduced outside events and theatre weekends.
Worth it mainly for Longford Lights, billed in 2026 as the festival's final year, so check for a successor.
What's on
- Maria Edgeworth Festival mid May
Literature, art and movement weekend in Edgeworthstown ending with the Mostrim Tea Party.
- Longford Agricultural Show early July
One of Ireland's oldest agricultural shows, held at Killoe with livestock, horses and trade stands.
- Granard Agricultural Show mid July
The north county agricultural show, pairing well with Granard and Derrycassin.
- The Marquee in Drumlish August
Four nights of music in a big top marquee in Drumlish, the county's closest thing to a music festival.
- Knights & Conquests Samhain late October
Samhain season at the Granard heritage centre, with folklore, fires and frights for families.
Best things to do in Longford
Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre
An Iron Age oak road built in 148 BC, preserved by the bog and shown by guided tour only.
St Mel's Cathedral
A neoclassical cathedral gutted by fire in 2009 and beautifully rebuilt, reopening on Christmas Eve 2014.
Knights & Conquests Heritage Centre
Hands on Norman history beside the Granard Motte, with chain mail, replica weapons and a Norman CSI room.
Maria Edgeworth Visitor Centre
The life of novelist Maria Edgeworth in one of Ireland's oldest national school buildings, with a literary walk.
Backstage Theatre
The county's 212 seat arts venue for touring theatre, comedy and live music, and its best evening plan.
Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre
Five thousand years of village story in an 1898 schoolhouse, with crafts and a forest stroll, by appointment.
Albert Reynolds Peace Park
Longford town's green lung on the River Camlin, with a perimeter walk, playgrounds and the town leisure centre.
Lough Ree Distillery
A family micro distillery by Lough Ree, with tours and an exclusive whiskey tasting as the county splurge.
Where to stay in Longford
Longford town
practical all round base
Walkable, on the train line and the greenway, with the theatre, cathedral and the county's best beds.
Ballymahon
greenway, woods and Center Parcs access
A lively small town on the canal with pubs, the escape room and Newcastle Wood at the door.
Lanesborough fringe
lake days, not lake nights
Lanesborough has the boats, distillery and shore walks but no hotel, so sleep in Longford town or Ballymahon.
Edgeworthstown
literary day trip
The Maria Edgeworth centre and walk are excellent, but there is no hotel to recommend, so base in Longford town.
Think twice about
- N4 and N5 roadside corridors
Isolated roadside lodging without a car leaves you stranded. It is a practical problem, not a safety one.
- Center Parcs Longford Forest as a touring base
Gated and priced as a self contained resort, so it works against seeing the rest of the county.
Best restaurants in Longford
VM Restaurant at Viewmount Country House
The county's only destination restaurant, modern Irish cooking in a small country house dining room.
Spice India
The town's most reviewed restaurant, a proper Indian kitchen with a strong vegetarian offer.
PV's
A smart bar restaurant known for lamb shank and fish pie, turning into a late bar with live music.
Moments Cafe & Restaurant
The town's all day fixture for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Irish and European, good for families.
Gallery Cafe
A small gallery cafe a little off the main run, rated by reviewers as the best pure cafe in town.
Torc Café & Foodhall
A cafe and foodhall famous for its full Irish breakfast and useful for greenway picnic stock.
Vocella's
The town's Italian, pasta led and vegetarian friendly, reviewed with genuine enthusiasm.
Skellys Bar
Ballymahon's benchmark pub kitchen, with braised specials and portions that draw Center Parcs guests.
Outdoor things to do in Longford
Royal Canal Greenway
Ireland's longest greenway ends here, 130km of flat towpath with Longford town and Cloondara trailheads.
Lough Ree Access For All
Fully accessible, covered boat trips on Lough Ree past monastic islands, run from Ballyleague all year.
Derrycassin Woods Walk and Playground
Woodland trails on the shore of Lough Gowna with estate ruins, lake views, a playground and weekend coffee.
Corn Hill
The county's highest point at 278m, a short steep trail to ancient cairns and views over nine counties.
Newcastle Wood
A free 5.1km public woodland loop by the River Inny, beside but outside the Center Parcs fence.
Center Parcs Longford Forest
Residents only resort with Ireland's largest indoor water park, open to non residents only via a guest pass.
County Longford Golf Club
An 18 hole par 72 parkland course from 1894 with a driving range and friendly midland green fees.
Glasson Golf Club
A championship lakeside course by Christy O'Connor Jr, with a signature par 3 carried over Lough Ree water.
Best hotels in Longford
Viewmount House
A period house from 1620 in four acres of gardens, with 12 rooms and the county's best restaurant downstairs.
Augherea House
A 1775 coach house B&B with contemporary rooms and a cooked to order breakfast guests rave about.
Longford Arms Hotel
The central Main Street hotel with a pool and leisure centre, best chosen for location with eyes open.
Center Parcs Longford Forest
A gated forest resort of lodges and a subtropical water park, a destination in itself rather than a touring base.
Cooneys Hotel
A family run Main Street hotel minutes from the greenway and Center Parcs, praised for food and service.
Skelly's Bar & B&B
A traditional pub with dog friendly rooms and a kitchen that outperforms most restaurants in the county.
Castlecor House
An 18th century hunting lodge on 12 acres, with an octagonal hall and quiet country house calm.
The Rustic Inn
A canal side inn on the Royal Canal and River Inny, with family rooms and trails in every direction.
Is Longford expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €110 a person |
| Splurge | €220 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Backstage Theatre: a few days ahead
- Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre: a few days ahead
- Lough Ree Distillery: a few days ahead
- The Lost Exit Escape Room: a few days ahead
- Lough Ree Access For All: a few days ahead
- Center Parcs Longford Forest: months ahead
- County Longford Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Glasson Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Book Viewmount House, its restaurant and Augherea House weeks ahead for weekends.
- If staying at Center Parcs, book activities weeks before arrival.
- Book Backstage Theatre, Lough Ree boat trips and guided angling ahead in summer.
- Check Corlea's seasonal opening dates before driving out, and note the Edgeworth centre closes on Mondays.
Is Longford safe?
- No area needs avoiding on safety grounds, and the town centre and the Mall are well kept and well used.
- Take normal care with late night pub crowds, remote trailhead parking and unlit rural roads after dark.
- Dress for weather on the water and on Corn Hill in every month.
Longford travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- There is no public day ticket for Center Parcs, so do not plan a day trip there.
- Do not book the Longford Arms on reputation alone, as recent hotel reviews are mixed to poor.
- Longford is a value and quiet county, not a luxury or nightlife destination.
Getting around Longford: public transport and more
- You need a car for the county sights, which sit 15 to 35 minutes apart on rural roads.
- Longford station is on the Dublin to Sligo line, about 1 hour 45 minutes from Dublin, with Edgeworthstown next stop east.
- The greenway links Longford town, Cloondara, Abbeyshrule and Ballymahon by bike.
- Parking is free or easy at the Mall, the trailheads and every town nearby.
Who Longford suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Longford your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store