Glin () is a village in the northwest of

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Ireland, Province , subd ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is on the south shore of the River Shannon's estuary, on the N69 road between

Foynes Foynes (; ) is a town and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 520 as of the 2016 census. Foynes's role as seap ...

and Tarbert. The population of the village at the 2016 census was 576.

History

The lands around Glin were the manor of the Knight of Glin after the Norman invasion. Glin was not included in the

Down Survey The Down Survey was a cadastral survey of Ireland, carried out by English scientist, William Petty, in 1655 and 1656. The survey was apparently called the "Down Survey" by Petty, either because the results were set down in maps or because the s ...

of the 1650s. The village, as it was then, was called Ballygullyhannane. Glin ''An Gleann'' was previously ''Gleann Corbraighe'', "Valley of the Corbry", from the stream flowing through the village into the Shannon. Glin is in the barony of Shanid, formerly a division of the barony of Lower Connello.Glin
''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland'' (1837), Samuel Lewis A road through the mountains south to Abbeyfeale was completed in 1836 Glin gave its name to a poor law union established in 1850. A

workhouse In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...

was erected southeast of the village.Glin Poor Law Union and Workhouse
Peter Higginbotham In 1891, the poor law union was dissolved. In 1894, the workhouse became the site for a District School for boys, run by the Christian Brothers, and girls, run by the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...

. The workhouse closed in 1920, and the District School in 1924. In 1928, St Joseph's industrial school for boys moved to the site from Sexton Street in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

. The school, also run by the Christian Brothers, closed in 1966. Reports of abuse of the residents were documented by the 2009 report of the

Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA) was one of a range of measures introduced by the Irish Government to investigate the extent and effects of abuse on children from 1936 onwards. Commencing its work in 1999, it was commonly known ...

Glin Castle

Upstream on the Corbry from the village is Glin Castle and demesne, the residence of the Knight of Glin and now a luxury hotel.Glin Castle
official website The first castle they built was by Thomas Fitzgerald in Shanid around 1200. Its ruins are still visible. It was the home of the Knights of Glin from about 1260 until 1642, when a house was built near the site of the present castle. The present day castle was built between 1780 and 1790 by John Bateman. Although it is called a castle, it is actually a Georgian house. The contractor was a Mr. Sheehy and the stone was brought from Athea by horse drawn sledge. By 1798, the majority of the interior was finished but with the Fitzgeralds about to become bankrupt, the craftsmen downed tools and left the castle.

Industrial school monument

St Joseph's Industrial School, Ireland's second largest industrial school, was opened in Glin by the Christian Brothers in 1928. It closed in 1966. In March 2015, a monument to residents and survivors of abuse at this residential institution was erected in the town's heritage park. In 2009, the Child Abuse Commission, chaired by Judge Seán Ryan, described the school as having a "severe, systemic regime of corporal punishment". A statement, released by the Glin Project to mark the unveiling at the monument, said that the monument had "the support and goodwill of the vast majority of local people" and described the monument's inscription as representing a "clear and unambiguous apology by the Christian Brothers".

Culture

The fair days in Glin were 8 June, the first Wednesday in September, and 3 December, with a weekly market each Wednesday. Glin also holds an annual event known as the ''Swim to Clare'' where locals swim either to or from Clare to the local pier, depending on which way the tide is going. Cycling events are also held throughout the year, as the town is located off the main N69 road.

Sport

The local Gaelic football club,

Glin GAA Glin GAA ( Irish: ''An Gleann CLG'') is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Glin, County Limerick, Ireland. Glin GAA club was founded in 1898 under the name of Glin Emmetts, in commemoration of Robert Emmett who played a major role in t ...

club, won seven county football championships between 1926 and 1934. The club's rivals include Fr. Caseys and Newcastle West. It reached the 2009 County Junior Final, losing a replay to

Mountcollins Mountcollins () is a village in the extreme south west of County Limerick, Ireland, barely 100 metres from the border with County Kerry and just a mile from County Cork. The River Feale runs parallel to the village and is fed by the Caher River ...

References

External links

GLIN, a market and post-town, and a parish
from ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland'' (1837) by Samuel Lewis
A collection of images of Glin, Co. Limerick

The Glin Development Association website
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick Towns and villages in County Limerick