Longford: Park Trails, Canal and Culture

In Longford, a park loop along the River Camlin, trails through the town centre, and distinctive architectural and canal history sit side by side. This lets you shape your stay around different interests: a stroll in green surroundings, a walk past local sights, or a look at the architecture of St. Mel’s Cathedral. Each route has its own focus, rather than repeating the same kind of outing.

Loop Walks Between the Park and Town Centre

The Mall, also known as Albert Reynolds Peace Park, is a 2.6 km loop walk in a landscaped park on the banks of the River Camlin. The Longford Town Trail, by contrast, is a loop through the town centre, passing significant Longford sights and leading to the start of the Royal Canal Greenway at Longford Branch. The two options are clearly distinct: a riverside loop through the park on one hand, and a route through town connecting to the canal trail on the other.

The Mall is also the venue for Longford Parkrun: a free 5 km event that you can complete every Saturday morning by walking, jogging or running. Check the schedule before your trip. For a walk around Longford Town, the free Longford Town Walking Trail Audio Guide is another way to learn about the sights.

Royal Canal Greenway and Canal History

The Longford Branch of the Royal Canal is not navigable, but many people use it for walking, running and cycling. Another part of the experience focuses on the history of the canal infrastructure: the Royal Canal Greenway approaches Longford Town’s filled-in harbour. There, you can see the original harbourmaster’s house and the former Royal Canal ticket office.

In the wider travel area of County Longford, the Royal Canal Greenway is a 130 km walking and cycling route from Maynooth in County Kildare to Clondra in County Longford. Along the Greenway are 90 bridges, 33 locks, 17 harbours and four aqueducts. In County Longford, the section between Cloonbreany and Mosstown Harbour runs alongside Corlea Bog. This bog is home to the Corlea Trackway, an ancient timber trackway dating to 148 BC. A short detour from the Royal Canal Greenway leads to the Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre in County Longford.

St. Mel’s Cathedral and Other County Excursions

St. Mel’s Cathedral is a striking building in Longford. Notable features include limestone columns, intricate stuccowork, a pipe organ and liturgical art by Irish and international contemporary artists. Together with the loop through the town centre, the cathedral offers a cultural contrast to the waterside trails.

Newcastle Woodland is also in County Longford, at Newcastle near Ballymahon. Managed by Coillte, this mixed woodland covers 325 hectares and stretches along both sides of the River Inny, an important tributary of the River Shannon. Its trails offer another way to experience the landscape of County Longford: the network includes 14 km of routes of varying lengths. The woodland also has a 400 m Access for All trail and a 1 km wheelchair-accessible trail. Check current accessibility before your visit.

Longford as a Search Destination for Your Stay

If you want to focus on the park loop, town trail, canal history and St. Mel’s Cathedral, you can choose Longford as your search destination for a holiday rental. If you plan to include more landscape and history experiences in County Longford, also base your search on the places you want to visit. For travel planning in the county: Longford Town and Edgeworthstown are among the stations on the Dublin–Sligo rail line. As timetables and services may change, check the details with Irish Rail before travelling.

Explore more destinations: Lanesborough, Ballymahon, Cloondara, Edgeworthstown, Moyne, Granard, Killashee, Mosstown.

For the broader travel overview: County Longford.