The Longford Diaspora The Longford Diaspora Thousands of people throughout the globe proudly claim a strong connection to County Longford. Our diaspora carry the traditions and heritage of their county with pride wherever they go in the world. We want to connect with all those who claim Longford heritage and share their stories, bring them together and harness that wonderful energy that Longford people have about their roots in the Irish midlands. Visit the Longford Diaspora page on Facebook
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Town Twinning Town Twinning is another important feature of the international Longford Network. Currently, Longford is twinned with three locations spanning the globe: Noyal Chatillon Sur Seiche in Brittany, France, Huixquilucan , Mexico and Sparks, Nevada , USA.
Longford Associations In New York, we have The County Longford Association of Greater New York, which was established in 1891 to assist Longford people in need. Today the association assists newly arrived immigrants and offers scholarships to the children and grandchildren of its members. You can check out their website here The Longford Association in London .
Meanwhile in Manchester, The Longford Association has formed a community aimed at keeping members in touch with social, cultural and welfare activities. You can follow them on Facebook.
Closer to home, we have the Longford Association Dublin. You can follow their regular activities at their website Longford Association Dublin .
If you are a member of a Longford Association and you would like us to publish your upcoming event, please contact diaspora@longfordcoco.ie . We’d love to hear from you!
Genealogy / Ancestry Reseach Longford Many of the visitors who come to County Longford from abroad are in search of information on their ancestors and are quite often of Farrell descent. Other family names associated with the area are Sheridan, Murphy, Rathigan, O’Neill and Kane. Their ancestors would usually have left Ireland during the famine years but also right up to and during the early 1900s’. The Longford diaspora have a wide reach, with communities in Britain, USA, Canada, Argentina, Mexico and even further afield in some cases.
Before beginning your research, it is essential that you collect as much information as possible. It is particularly important to try to establish the place (townland or parish) of origin of your ancestors. The key sources for genealogical research are the church and civil records. The original records of Catholic parishes are still held by the local clergy. Those of Church of Ireland parishes are held locally or else are in the Representative Church Library, Churchtown, Dublin. For information on the Presbyterian and Methodist congregations, you are advised to contact the clergy in both cases.
Important online sources The tithe applotment books
Griffith’s Valuation
The 1901 and 1911 census records
There is a wide range of sources for Longford history and genealogy available from Longford Library Heritage and Archives, Town Centre, Longford. Tel : +353 43 3341124, Email: library@longfordcoco.ie. Web: www.longfordlibrary.ie
The Longford Genealogical Centre, 17 Dublin Street, Longford has most church records in database format. The Centre is no longer open to the public but you can submit a query by post or email. There are charges which are available on application. Email: longroot@iol.ie.
The Office of the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, Health Centre, Dublin Road, Longford holds state (civil) records of births, marriages and deaths from 1864. Please note it is a working office and does not have a research facility. You are advised to contact it to discuss your enquiry prior to visiting. Tel: +353 43 3332226
Irish Clann Connections Longford, Roscommon and Westmeath.
