A-Z Placefinder
Towns of Longford
Ballinamuck —County Longford
Ballinamuck is one of the most historic towns in north Longford because of the great battle that was fought there in 1798 between the combined Irish and French forces under General Humbert and General Blake and the English under Lord Cornwallis. The little town and its battle became famous in recent years because of the success of Thomas Flanagan's historic novel 'The Year of the French' and subsequent film. The name 'Ballinamuck' is derived from the original name 'Beal Atha na Muice' which means 'the mouth of the ford of the pig'. According to legend a famous black pig rooted up a trench, from the Dane's Cast in Armagh, through Ballinamuck until it arrived at the Ford of Lough Gowna where a man struck it with a stone and thus put an end to the pigs rooting. Ballinamuck is an ideal place for a quiet and relaxing holiday, where fishing, walking, cycling and observing nature are the main attractions.
