[4] The town was recorded by the Annals of the Four Masters as Leith Innse,[5] which is a variant of the Irish word for a peninsula leithinis ("half island"), which describes the village's location between the Inagh River and the sea.

[7] In 2020, an ancient monument, believed to be a cliff ring fort created thousands of years ago, was discovered near the coastal area of Lahinch.

Local governor William Edward Ellis overlooked the repair work which followed and the construction of a new sea wall and promenade were inaugurated by the wife of the Viceroy, Lady Aberdeen, in July 1893.

In 1900, Gertrude Crowe of "Times Weekly" wrote: "Lahinch, a restful picturesque spot on the west coast of Clare, retains much of its primitive old world charm.

[6] On 22 and 23 September 1920, British RIC troops avenged the Rineen Ambush, in which they lost six men, by scorching some 26 buildings, including Lahinch Town Hall and the local dance club on the Promenade.

[6][13] Aideen Carrol describes the RIC as running "amok in Lahinch and Miltown Malbay in an orgy of burning and beating".

[15] The West Clare Railway closed in 1961,[6] but the town has retained its popularity and in recent times has become a renowned surfing location.

Today the town contains several small cafes and restaurants, a church, a pub, the Lahinch and Shamrock Hotels,[16] a bookstore and a surfing school.

[12] In 2002 G. A. Finn published Lazy Days at Lahinch, a light-hearted collection of short stories about local golfers.

In January, 2014, a major storm occurred, which produced massive spectacular waves, which crashed against the main Promenade.

Creation of the new larger church proved a challenge for the architects, as the old site was small, had adjacent houses, and backed up to steep hill.

Alister MacKenzie, who co-designed Augusta National Golf Club, redesigned and extended the links in 1927 for a fee of £2,000.

Bus Éireann route 350 links Lahinch to several locations: Ennis, Ennistymon, Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, Lisdoonvarna and Galway.

Lahinch is also linked to Doonbeg, Spanish Point, Miltown Malbay, Kilfenora, Corofin and Ennis by Route 333, with services running Monday to Saturday once daily.

Lahinch was formerly served by the narrow gauge West Clare Railway, which linked Kilrush, Kilkee and Milltown Malbay with Ennis.