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 Census records
Sadly, none of the Longford census records from the 1800's survived. The 1901 and 1911 censuses are online at www.census.nationalarchives.ie .
Civil records
Civil or state records of non-Catholic marriages began in 1845 and of other marriages, and all births and deaths in 1864. They are now available online at www.irishgenealogy.ie . Note that there are cut-off points: 100 years for births, 75 years for marriages and 50 years for deaths.
Catholic parish records
All original Catholic parish records are held by local clergy. Images of the registers to about 1880 are available at www.registers.nli.ie .
‘Griffith’s Valuation’
This was a valuation prepared uniformly for all of Ireland to allow for the calculation of the local taxes, especially the poor rate (to support the local poor law union). The Longford valuation was done in 1854. It lists all occupiers of land, by civil parish, with a brief description of the properties held. Acreages are in statute measure. The online version at www.askaboutireland.ie has the maps that accompany the lists.
The tithe applotment books
Dating from the period 1823-35, the Longford books list, by civil parish, all occupiers of land who were obliged to pay tithe (a tax) to the Church of Ireland. Those who were not landholders, or who lived in towns, were not tithe payers. Acreages are in Irish measure. The books are available at www.titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie .
Longford Genealogy Centre
The Longford Genealogy Centre is now in The Killian Homeplace, Fermoyle, Lanesborough. It has a database with Longford church records. Queries should be addressed to longfordroots@thekillianhomeplace.com. The database can also be accessed at www.longford.rootsireland.ie .
