A Future for Irish Historic Houses - Irish Heritage Trust

o The neo-Classical plasterwork of the hall is possibly the work of
Dublin stuccodores – Charles Thorpe or Michael Stapleton. The
other neo-Classical ceilings are believed to be the work of local
stuccodores.
o It houses a unique collection of Irish furniture and Irish paintings,
much of which has been collected by the present owner (including
much of the original furniture sold out of the house in the past.)
Many of the original family portraits survive.
o The archives, which date mainly from the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries, are on deposit in the University of Limerick.
The house is located on an estate of around 400 acres, which is mainly run as a dairy
farm. Glin itself is run as a country house hotel. During peak season, it offers
employment to around twenty-five people.
The future of Glin is not without difficulties:
- Farming does not provide the necessary income to maintain a house such
as Glin. Its success as a hotel is, therefore, vital. The present owner
emphasised the serious repercussions that 11 September 2001 and an
outbreak of Foot and Mouth the same year had upon the tourist industry in
general and to their trade in particular.
- The contents of the house are not insured for their full value; it is simply
not affordable.
- There is a fear that at some stage in the future, the important contents of
the house may have to be sold off in order to continue to maintain the
house.
- The present owner has three daughters. Like many other owners he argues
that there is no guarantee that the future generations will be willing to
make the sacrifices of his generation to keep the house going. The future
of Glin is, therefore, very uncertain.
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