Survey Data
Reg No
13004102
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Artistic, Historical, Social
Original Use
Monument
In Use As
Monument
Date
1918 - 1930
Coordinates
213309, 275122
Date Recorded
24/08/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding carved limestone cenotaph in the form of a Celtic high cross, erected c. 1925, commemorating the men from County Longford who died in the First World War (1914-1918). Set on a dressed limestone faced plinth (modern). Bas relief inscriptions to base. Shamrock motif in bas relief to the head of the cross on the east face. Situated within a paved area the east side of Market Square, Longford Town, and to the south of the town centre.
Appraisal
This sombre monument commemorates the memory of the ‘284 gallant men of the County Longford who fell in the Great War’ (First World War 1914 - 18). High quality stone masonry is apparent in the fine lettering and the shamrock motif in bas relief. It uses the traditional Irish symbol of a Celtic high cross but it lacks the Celtic interlacing sometimes found on such monuments/memorials. Celtic high crosses are the primary monument form of Irish First World War memorials/monuments and they can be found in many towns throughout Ireland, including Nenagh, Drogheda, Sligo and at Bray. Significant due to the major event it commemorates, and also as one of a relatively few pieces of public sculpture in Longford Town. This monument appears to have been re-erected in recent years and the plinth is relatively modern.