Cloondara Bridge

Single-arched canal bridge carrying road over the Cloondara Canal (13307006), built c. 1760. Round-headed arch with dressed limestone voussoirs and rubble limestone walls, now covered in vegetation. Cut limestone piers and plinth to parapet. Located to the north of Cloondara. Lock keeper’s house (13307004) adjacent to the north.

A typically well-built canal bridge, which is a valuable part of the architectural and industrial heritage of County Longford. Although humble in form, this structure has a simple functional elegance. The contrast between the rubble limestone construction and the dressed/cut limestone detailing helps to create a pleasing composition. It was probably built to designs by the canal engineer Thomas Omer, who was responsible for the construction of Cloondara Canal (13307006) and the lock keeper’s house (13307004) adjacent to the north. It forms part of an extensive group of structures associated with the Cloondara Canal and the later Royal Canal, c. 1817, at Cloondara, which together represents one of the more significant collections of its type in the country. Interestingly, it is one of three bridges in the town of Cloondara, each of which spans a different waterway.