by Fergus O’Ferrall

With a Preface by Roy Foster

 County Longford Explored: Irish History in the hidden heartland is a fruit of a revolution in Irish historical studies, one which since the 1970s has focused upon exploring in detail the complex web of multiple and various histories at local, county or regional levels. This book addresses the nature, purpose and value of local history and the contribution of local studies to ‘re-thinking home’ in a period of rapid change.

The book includes for the first time a detailed study of the birth of democracy in one county from 1820-1850 in the age of Daniel O’Connell. This fundamental change in popular politics was proceeded by the eclipse of Gaelic society and the intrusions of plantation and confiscation creating a Protestant Ascendancy and these key developments are explored in detail at the level of the barony in County Longford.

The literary locales of major authors in County Longford, Oliver Goldsmith and Maria Edgeworth are explored in detail as is the lesser-known author, Rev. George Brittaine. Their literary achievements were shaped by their locales and in turn have much to contribute to our understanding of past societies. Also included is a remarkable account by a participant in the famous Longford By-Election in 1917 and a contribution to sporting history in respect of hunting and horse racing from 1920 to 1950 in County Longford.  The book is a landmark in how we apprehend Irish history and draw upon our histories in the present as we seek to shape flourishing local communities in the future.

Fergus O’Ferrall, PhD is author of Catholic Emancipation. Daniel O’Connell and the Birth of Irish Democracy 1820-1830 (Dublin, 1985) and the Gill’s Irish Lives book, Daniel O’Connell, (Dublin, 1981 and 1998); he co-edited with Martin Morris Longford History and Society (Geography Publications, Dublin, 2010) and with Martin Morris and Sarah Gearty, Longford, in the Royal Irish Academy’s Irish Historic Towns Atlas (Dublin, 2010). He is author of a range of historical essays and articles on Irish and local history, including Liberty and Catholic Politics 1790-1990 (Freehold Press, Belfast,1990). He has contributed essays to the Dublin Review of Books and Studies. He is a Life Member of County Longford Historical Society and has been President of the Methodist Historical Society of Ireland.