The DVD “From the Workhouse to the County Home: a Longford Story” was launched in June. Copies of the DVD, which was sponsored by Co. Longford Historical Society, are still available from St. Joseph’s Care Home, Luke Baxter’s Chemist and the Presbytery, Longford, price €10.
The DVD is the outcome of an oral history project that began under the auspices of the HSE. A number of people associated with the County Home, such as former staff members, were interviewed about their experiences there. One of these was the late Sr Calasanctius Duffy, who worked in St Joseph’s for about forty years and served as matron. Extracts from the interviews have been skilfully edited and the many old photographs used contribute to a very impressive production, telling the story from 1842 when the Workhouse was founded, to the St. Joseph’s of modern times.