Ansgar who was on the border of the Breifne kingdom crossed the frozen river and entered the barony of Longford.
This is because he was the first place he had to go, as he had to conquer the castle before he could advance towards the kingdom of Athlone.
The marshes of the Barony of Longford were quite similar to any of the other marshes of Ireland, however something of which Ansgar realized.
It was that the swamps had numerous bridges and roads which seemed to be abandoned, however they showed that there were many people in those places.
However, the first villages that arrived found the same depressing scene of abandoned houses and some corpses of people who had not been able to escape and ended up dying of hunger.
After advancing for 2 days through the marsh roads, they reached Longford Castle.
