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Longford (Irish: An Longfort) is the county town of County Longford in the Midlands of Ireland. The town's original full name was Longphort Uí Fhearghail (stronghold of O'Farrell), reflecting the fact that it grew up around the ancient castle of the O'Farrells (chieftains of the territory of Anghaile or Annaly) and the Dominican priory they founded there in 1400. Today's town has a population of around 8,000. Longford's main industries are food production, steelwork and medical equipment production. The town is also a local commerce centre, with retail outlets. It is the cathedral town for the Roman Catholic diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise.
Transport
Longford is situated approximately 93 kilometres (58 miles) from Sligo and 124 kilometres (77 miles) from the capital city, Dublin.
The town is connected to the Irish railway network on the Dublin-Sligo route, and avails of mainline Sligo-Dublin intercity services. Despite its distance from Dublin, it also has a regular commuter service to Dublin which is well utilised. Journeys to the capital by rail take from one and a half to two hours.
Longford is the point where the N4 road from Dublin to Sligo leaves the N5 road, which continues onwards to Westport, County Mayo. Traffic congestion is a problem in the town at weekends, as all motorists travelling on the N5 must pass through the town en-route to their destinations - only the N4 Sligo road has a bypass.
- See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
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