The 1830s Ordnance Survey field books describe a market town with a church, schoolhouse, post office, police barracks, Catholic and Methodist chapels and two limestone quarries. It is a compact record of a village that served a busy rural district.
Immediately west lay the Castleforbes demesne, once one of the county’s largest. The historic field books describe its planted grounds and woods around the family residence. The estate is not a public visitor attraction, and its historic importance should not be confused with access to the house or grounds.
At Longford County Archives, Castleforbes workmen’s accounts survive for 1873–82 and 1890–93. Records of wages and employment bring the estate’s past down to the level of daily work — a useful starting point for anyone researching families in the parish of Clonguish.
There is now a very different local landscape to explore. Newtownforbes Tidy Towns and its partners helped create a 1.83 km bog walk through grassland, forestry and bog, completed in 2023. The county council describes access by the GAA grounds and a return to the village along a quiet lane.
The path is one example of how local people have made room for nature near the village. The council records benches and picnic tables along the route. Take the signed entrance, keep to the path and bear in mind that bogland can be wet.
The older village and the newer walk make a sensible pairing. For local family history, the Castleforbes accounts and the county’s historic maps offer a quite different, equally rewarding way to begin.
Two buildings along Main Street give Newtownforbes a distinctive architectural character. St Paul’s Church was built under the patronage of the Forbes family, with crow-stepped gables that recall Scottish architecture. The main Castle Forbes gates, also on Main Street, are another reminder of how closely the village and demesne developed together. They can be appreciated from the road; the estate beyond remains private.
Newtownforbes once had its own railway station. Longford Library’s industrial heritage survey records an opening date of 1 September 1863 and closure on 17 June 1963. That century of rail connection adds another chapter to the village story, between the world of the landed estate and today’s road and local community links.
Village heritage and local connections
Good to know
Historic estates nearby are not necessarily publicly accessible. Use local archives and the county’s official visitor sources for appropriate visits.
Discover the local story
Keep exploring
Three ideas for exploring
- Village streetscapeExplore public village spaces and note local architectural character.
- Castle Forbes researchRead the library’s historical estate entry; do not enter private property.
- Archive and graveyard recordsUse the local studies collections to trace family and townland history.
Make more of your visit
A community-made biodiversity trail
Longford County Council describes the Newtownforbes Biodiversity Trail and Nature Walk as an initiative by volunteers, landowners and the council, supporting walking and cycling and wildlife habitat. Obtain current local wayfinding information; the council account is not a turn-by-turn route.
Longford County Council – Pride of Place ↗Local voluntary heritage and biodiversity work
The council has recognised the Newtownforbes TidyTowns and Biodiversity Group for work on the village’s heritage and biodiversity trail. This makes the walk a community project rather than a historic-estate visitor pass.
Longford County Council – Community awards ↗