The lands around Glin were the manor of the Knight of Glin after the Norman invasion. Glin was not included in the Down Survey 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. 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 was erected southeast of the village. 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 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. 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.
Upstream on the Corbry from the village is Glin Castle and demesne, the residence of the Knight of Glin and now a luxury hotel. 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.
Monument to abuse survivors
In March 2015, a monument to the residents and survivors of abuse at Ireland's second largest industrial school was erected in Glin. In a statement, leaders of the project which commissioned the sculpture, said they hoped to bring past pupils to the town later that year for an unveiling ceremony. In the statement, the Glin Project said the monument to St Joseph's Industrial School had been set in place for the town's Heritage Park "with the support and goodwill of the vast majority of local people". The residential institution was opened by the Christian Brothers in Glin in 1928 and closed in 1966. In 2009, the Child Abuse Commission, chaired by Judge Seán Ryan, described it as having a "severe, systemic regime of corporal punishment". The Glin Project Committee says the monument is inscribed with "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.
