Overview
Entry is free, which matters, because the gallery is part of a working arts centre rather than a standalone museum, and what is on the walls changes five to seven times a year. That turnover is the reason to keep checking back: there is no permanent collection to see once and tick off. The gallery sits inside the Glór arts and entertainment centre in Ennis, County Clare, and shares its foyer space with whatever music, theatre or dance is on in the auditoria that week.
The downside of that arrangement is honest enough to state: between hangs there can be a gap, and the gallery is really a few well-lit spaces rather than a large building. If a specific show has drawn you, ring ahead or check the website before driving in.
History and background
Glór opened on 30 November 2001, launched by Síle de Valera, then Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. It cost €8.5 million and was the largest arts investment in County Clare at the time, with a 485-seat auditorium, a 65-seat studio and the gallery. More than 900,000 people have passed through for events in the two decades since.
The visual-arts side grew through an Artists-in-Residence scheme launched in 2015, which appointed composer Dr Dave Flynn as first Associate Artist, then theatre-makers Catherine Ireton and Jacinta Sheerin in 2018 and Curator-in-Residence Dr Moran Been-Noon in 2019. The centre marked its 20th birthday in November 2021.
Recent and notable exhibitions
- CRUX – A Dialogue in Metal (2017), large-scale metalwork by local and international makers.
- Slow Time with a Butterfly (2024), an installation on perception and movement.
- Leftover Laboratory (2025), an interactive children’s show.
- Where Nature Reclaims (October 2025), Sarah Reynolds’s headline exhibition for the Lasta Young Curators Festival, mixing painting, photography and digital work.
- Folklore Trilogy (winter 2025/2026), a partnership with the Kilkenny studio Cartoon Saloon showing frames and concept art from its films, with animation workshops alongside.
Work by Mick O’Dea, Lorraine Wall, Walter Verling and Jean Regan has featured, along with loans from the National Gallery of Ireland and the Arts Council.
Events and workshops
Much of what makes Glór worth a family visit happens around the gallery rather than strictly in it.
- Lasta Young Curators Festival ran 7–26 October 2025 under the theme SUSTAIN, pairing Where Nature Reclaims with music, a literary open mic, a comics workshop and anime screenings.
- Animation workshops in February 2026, led by WolfWalkers animator Eimhin McNamara, let people make a short clip tied to the Folklore Trilogy show.
- Tiny Tunes, a concert series for small children, runs in the foyer.
- Creative Circles is a networking group for Clare-based artists across disciplines.
The What’s On listings live on the Glór website and many events are free.
Practical information
Hours – The gallery follows the centre’s schedule, usually 10am–5pm Monday to Saturday. Confirm on the website.
Admission – Free, with donations welcome. Tickets apply only to ticketed performances.
Box office – Monday to Saturday, 10am–3pm. Phone 065 684 3103. For workshop and event queries, email programme@glor.ie.
Café – Open Monday to Saturday, 10am–2.30pm, doing soup, sandwiches and cakes.
Parking and transport – The metered car park beside Glór gives one hour free, with tickets required 9am–6pm. Friar’s Walk coach park has 14 free spaces, CCTV and a water supply, 100m from the town centre. Ennis is on regular Bus Éireann routes and the Limerick–Galway railway line, both a short walk away.
Nearby – Clare Museum is a 10-minute walk in the town centre; Clare Abbey is about 2.5km out.
Contact – General enquiries on 065 684 5370 or boxoffice@glor.ie.