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Photo of Ballymahon and the River Inny, County Longford

Longford, Ireland

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Photo of Ballymahon and the River Inny, County Longford
River Inny at Ballymahon, Longford | © Pierre Olivier| Adobe Stock

Situated in the Shannon basin in the Midlands Region, Longford has the second smallest population (47,000) of all the Irish counties, but experienced the highest county population growth (14%) in the 2022 Census. It is a predominantly agricultural county with some industrial activity, notably in the engineering and pharmaceutical sectors, in the more urban areas. Its tourism sector has been boosted by the 2019 opening of Center Parcs Longford Forest just outside the town of Ballymahon.

Examples of projects and initiatives supported by the EU

WiFi4EU

As part of the WiFi4EU initiative, the towns of Longford, Drumlish and Ballymahon were each awarded a voucher worth €15 000 in February 2021 to roll out free public wifi.

Support to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Longford

Longford Local Enterprise Office, co-financed by the EU’s regional development budget, offers training, mentoring, advice and financial support to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

UrbSecurity: Planning Safer Cities

Through the URBACT programme Longford Town also obtained €46 00 worth of funding when participating in the Planning Safer Cities network. The Network improved the capacity of cities to manage sustainable urban policies and practices in an integrated and participative way.

Military Spaces as Public Assets

Longford Town has obtained just over €50 000 worth of funding through the URBACT Programme. This included being part of the Military Assets as Public Spaces (MAPS), which focused on enhancing the former military heritage as key elements for sustainable urban strategies.

The Living Bog

The Living Bog project was based in Ardagullion bog, Longford. The EU LIFE Nature and Biodiversity Fund co-financed this bog restoration project and the work in Ardagullion has resulted in wildlife returning and a restored cutover brimming with flora and fauna. The overall project has resulted in an extra 100 tonnes of CO2 being sequestered per year.

2023-2027 LEADER Programme

The LEADER programme for the county was allocated €1.2m for the 2021-2022 transitional period, as well as €5.8 million for the 2023-2027 timeframe.

Transitional LEADER Programme

The LEADER programme supports a range of rural development projects in Longford, including tourism, community development, promotion of business and enterprise, and social inclusion. From the 2014-2020 LEADER programme, one example of a beneficiary is the Bridgeways Family Resource Centre in Ballymahon, who received a grant of €16931 to support social inclusion of rural youth.

Back to Education Initiative (BTEI)

The Back to Education Initiative, run by Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board, is financially supported by the European Social Fund. It offers adult learners, particularly people who left school early, the possibility to access a large variety of educational and learning programmes throughout the county.

Further information
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