Ardagh, County Longford

Ardagh
Ardach
Location of Ardagh within the Republic of Ireland
Ardagh

Location of Ardagh within the Republic of Ireland

Coordinates: 53°40′1″N 7°41′36″W / 53.66694°N 7.69333°WCoordinates: 53°40′1″N 7°41′36″W / 53.66694°N 7.69333°W
Country Ireland
Province Leinster
County County Longford
Population (2006)[1]
 • Total 1,006
Irish grid reference N199687

Ardagh (Irish: Ardach, older version Irish: Ardachadh, meaning "high field") is a village in County Longford, Ireland about 10 km (6.21 mi) from Longford Town. It is located off the N4 road.

History

Western elevation and lychgate of the church of St Patrick (Church of Ireland). June 2013
Church of St Mel, Ardagh, viewed from the graveyard.June 2013

There are several important Early Christian sites in and near Ardagh, including the Church of St. Mel. It is suggested that Saint Patrick built a church here in the fifth century and installed Saint Mel as bishop.[2]

Ardagh's Heritage Centre tracks the history of the village, including its literary associations, which include featuring pseudonymously in Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, and in a poem by Eavan Boland.

Much of the village was built as an 'Estate Village' in the 19th century, based on a Swiss design by the local landlords - the Fetherston baronets. The village was awarded the Prix d'Honneur of the Entente Florale and won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition on three occasions in 1989, 1996 and 1998.

Public transport

Edgeworthstown railway station is around 9 kilometres from the village. Until the evening of 24 August 2013 Bus Éireann route "118" (Dublin-Mullingar-Longford) served Ardagh on Saturdays only allowing passengers to travel into Longford for a few hours.[3][4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Table 4: Population of each Province, County, City, urban area, rural area and Electoral Division, 2002 and 2006", Census 2006 Preliminary Report (PDF), Central Statistics Office Ireland, 2006.
  2. ↑ "Ardagh", Catholic Encyclopedia, New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907
  3. ↑ "Bus Éireann Announces Revisions to Route 115 Mullingar-Dublin service". Bus Eireann (Press Release). 22 August 2013.
  4. ↑ "Bus Eireann - Timetables - Regional Services by County". Bus Eireann. Retrieved 7 December 2014.

External links

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