Glin, County Limerick

Glin
An Gleann
Village
Glin

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 52°34′13″N 09°16′58″W / 52.57028°N 9.28278°W / 52.57028; -9.28278Coordinates: 52°34′13″N 09°16′58″W / 52.57028°N 9.28278°W / 52.57028; -9.28278
Country  Ireland
Province Munster
County County Limerick
Population (2006)
 • Total 566
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)

Glin (Irish: An Gleann, meaning "the glen")[1] is a village in the northwest of County Limerick, Ireland. It is on the south shore of the River Shannon's estuary, on the N69 road between Foynes and Tarbert. The population of the village in 2006 was 566.[2]

History

The lands around Glin were the manor of the Knight of Glin after the Norman invasion.[3] 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,[4] formerly a division of the barony of Lower Connello.[3] A road through the mountains south to Abbeyfeale was completed in 1836[3] Glin gave its name to a poor law union established in 1850. A workhouse was erected southeast of the village.[5] In 1891, the poor law union was dissolved.[5] 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.[6] The workhouse closed in 1920, and the District School in 1924.[6] 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.[6]

Glin Castle

Glin Castle, with the River Shannon beyond
See also: Knight of Glin

Upstream on the Corbry from the village is Glin Castle and demesne, the residence of the Knight of Glin and now a luxury hotel.[7] 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 set up in Co Limerick

1598 Thursday 15 March 2015 21.04

A monument to the residents and survivors of abuse at Ireland’s second largest industrial school has been erected in Glin in Co Limerick.

The move marks the resolution of a long-running dispute between the town's development association and survivors' representatives.

In a statement, leaders of the project which commissioned the sculpture, say they hope to bring past pupils to the town later this year for an unveiling ceremony.

Monument commemorating abuse survivors erected in Limerick

RELATED AUDIO & VIDEO

Watch: Monument commemorating abuse survivors erected in Limerick Plans for a reunion there two years ago were abandoned after the dispute began.

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 Commission's report stated that the Christian Brothers had been "reckless" when they transferred two of their members to Glin after investigating earlier complaints that they had sexually abused boys in other industrial schools.

The Glin Project Committee says the monument is inscribed with "a clear and unambiguous apology by the Christian Brothers"

At the project's instigation, the monument also bears a quote from Mary Raftery, the late journalist and author whose exposure of institutional child abuse led to the establishment of the Ryan Commission.

The quote - "Thousands of victims of industrial schools bear witness to a society unwilling to question its own comfortable certainties out of a fear that those beliefs might turn out to have been built on sand" - sparked controversy in 2013 when it was rejected by the Development Association because its length added to the size of the sculpture.

The Project says the monument will inform the public that "those of us who spent all of our early lives in the institutions were finally able to play our part in ensuring that both the Christian Brothers and the State would be found guilty of very serious abuses and neglect in Mr Justice Sean Ryan's Child Abuse Inquiry Report".

Mr. Tom HAYES MBE Secretary, Glin Project Committee. [8]

Shannon Lawn House

On the banks of the River Shannon was a grand old Georgian House which is thought to have been built by Sir Edmund Sexton Pery in the early 1800s. The house is still standing but has had a number of different owners and caretakers, a number which far exceeds the amount a house this old would normally have. This house is of particular note however as most locals believe there to be a phantom or specter residing in the house and claim this to be the reason for the short stay of each tenant. The most notable story of this ghost is that of the young detective valsie and the famous 6. Valsie a seance had many chance encounters with the phantom and has lived to tell the tale, unlike many of her compatriots who endeavored to catch the phantom and find out why the ghost still haunts the house.

Profile Developments

Profile Developments is a door manufacturing company which produces a unique range of composite doors called the "Palladio Door Collection". Established in 1986 the company now employs over 150 people, expanding annually. The factory is based in Kilfergus, Glin. For more information please see www.profiledevelopments.com

Culture

The fair days in Glin were 8 June, the first Wednesday in September, and 3 December, with a weekly market each Wednesday.

Glin GAA

Main article: Glin GAA Club

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

References

  1. ↑ An Gleann Placenames Database of Ireland
  2. ↑ Table 5 Population of Towns ordered by County and size, 2002 and 2006, Central Statistics Office
  3. 1 2 3 Glin A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837), Samuel Lewis
  4. ↑ Map of Limerick, from Philips' Handy Atlas of the Counties of Ireland (1896)
  5. 1 2 Glin Poor Law Union and Workhouse Peter Higginbotham
  6. 1 2 3 "Chapter 11 St Joseph's Industrial School, Glin, Co Limerick ('Glin'), 1872–1966". Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. 20 May 2009. pp. Vol.I, Chapter 11. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  7. ↑ Glin Castle official website
  8. ↑ Monument to survivors of Glin Industrial School 1928 - 1966

External links

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