Longford Annual 2021: Fifth edition of packed Longford Annual now on sale in local shops

As we near the end of 2021, it just would not be Christmas without the Longford Annual providing some interesting reading over the next few weeks in homes around Longford and the world.

A firm favourite for everyone, we certainly hope the fifth edition of the Longford Annual will once again provide some interesting reading with a brimful of features, interviews, articles on local heritage and much more.

Published by the Longford Leader, the local team of journalists have put together a number of articles which are sure to be a crowd pleaser over the Christmas break.

Among the stories that inspired us during 2021 was the incredible bravery of Lynsey Bennett, the young Longford mum of two who determinedly told the nation how she could now ‘focus on my own fight to stay alive as long as I can' after she settled her High Court case against the HSE over the misreading of her cervical smear tests. Jessica Thompson’s interview with Lynsey on pages 4 & 5 of the Longford Annual is a compelling read.

Longford is renowned for punching well above its weight in the sporting arena and rising athletics star Cian McPhillips smashed a number of records in a season where he became the European U20 1,500m Champion, winning in Tallinn, Estonia. And prior to this triumph, Cian became the fourth Longford athlete to compete for Ireland at the European Senior Indoor Championships, competing in the 800m in Torun, Poland. 

2021 was also a year of reflection. Longford was a hotbed of activity during the War of Independence and local historian Seán O’Suilleabháin, author of the super recently launched book Longford’s Republican Story 1900 - 2000, looks back at the Centenary of the Clonfin Ambush. 

While author and a founder member of the SDLP, Seamus McRory, a native of Slaughtneil, Co Derry, and resident in Longford for many years recalls the terror he experienced in Belfast around the time of the 1971 Ballymurphy Massacre. 

In recent weeks, the county finals have captured the public’s imagination, and it’s lovely to see crowds back in Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, cheering on their club. St Brigid’s Killashee created a little slice of history by winning back-to-back intermediate titles in the space of a few months, while Mullinalaghta St Columba’s returned to the summit of senior football and Longford Slashers ended their long wait for senior hurling glory. Ballymore won a Leinster Ladies junior title and that success also features in Padraic O’Brien’s sporting review of 2021. 

In the Longford Annual 2021 we also remember those who passed away over the past year, when restrictions on funerals have meant we haven’t always been able to grieve or pay respects in the way we might have  liked.

We hope you enjoy the Longford Annual as we head to the end of 2021 - and all very much look forward to 2022.

Give a gift that reflects all that is good and great about home, the perfect stocking filler for a loved one at home or abroad this Christmas - the Longford Annual  2021 - priced at €4 and on sale in newsagents throughout the county - don't miss it!