The Claddagh

(Pronounced 'Cladda')

The Claddagh Ring, Ireland's cherished symbol of friendship, loyalty and love, is worn by millions in Ireland and around the world.

The Claddagh features a crowned heart supported by two opened hands, symbolizing Love (heart), Loyalty & Fidelity (crown) and Friendship & Faith (hands). The name 'Claddagh' refers to a small fishing village in County Galway (now part of Galway City itself) in the west of Ireland. Historically, the Claddagh ring was used as a wedding band by the inhabitants of Claddagh Village. In earlier times this design was the symbol of the "Fishing Kings of Claddagh" meaning "in love and friendship let us reign.

It has been difficult to trace the origin because huge numbers of Claddagh rings were melted down following the Great Famine of 1846-47, as there was nobody to redeem or purchase them. Interest in Claddagh rings has revived and it's popularity has spread, helped by the vast exodus from Ireland during the Great Famine. Now it is widely used as a friendship, engagement, and wedding ring.

As an emblem of friendship:
·  Worn with the heart turned inwards, it denotes that the wearer is 'spoken for'.
·  Worn with the heart turned outwards shows that the wearer's heart has not yet been won.

For engagement and marriage:
·  Place engagement ring on the 3rd finger of your left hand, with the heart facing out.
·  After the wedding, wear the ring with the heart pointing inwards towards your heart.

The origins of the Claddagh Ring remains a matter for conjecture, most of the popular stories attribute it to Richard Joyce, a sailer from Galway. More than 400 years ago, Joyce was kidnapped (the very week he was to was to be married) by pirates and sold into slavery in North Africa where he learned the art of goldsmithing. When he returned to his native Galway, he refined the goldsmithing skills and designed a very special ring. The woman of his heart had never married and they were re-united. He gave her the ring as a promise of love and they married.

It is also said the Claddagh symbolizes the Holy Trinity. The crown signifies The Father, the left hand The Son, and the right hand The Holy Ghost, all caring for the heart in the center which symbolizes humanity. This explanation correlates to the Shamrock, one of the earliest symbols of the Holy Trinity among the Irish.

Further legend is based on ancient Celt folklore. The crown represents Beathauile. Beathauile does not appear to be a person or a god but appears to represent all of life. Gaelic-English dictionaries indicate that beatha translates to the word life and uile to the word whole or all. The right hand represents Dagda Mor, the father of the Gods who was a powerful being, complete with the ability to make the sun stand still. Anu was the ancestral and universal mother of the Celtic people. She is also known as Danu to her people. She is said to represent the left hand of the ring. The heart represents the Hearts of all Mankind and that which gives the everlasting music to the Gael.

There is a tale of one of the Kings of Claddagh, who fell in love with a peasant girl. Because she was of the lower classes, his love fell unrequited. In the depths of depression, the king died, requesting that his grave bear the symbol of a pair of hands holding his crowned heart as a symbol for his undying love of the peasant girl.

Another story says that a Margaret Joyce married Domingo de Rona, a wealthy Spanish merchant who traded with Galway. They proceeded to Spain, where he died, leaving her a considerable fortune. Returning to Galway she used her fortune to build bridges from Galway to Sligo, and re-married Oliver Og French, Major of Galway. She was rewarded for her good works and charity by an eagle who dropped the original Claddagh ring into her lap.

It is generally accepted that the ring came from an area that includes the Aran Islands on the West, through all Connemara and Joyce Country to Galway, and then eastward and southward for about twelve miles in either direction. A region which surrounds Claddagh Village.

Throughout each varying symbolism, a single theme shines through, specifically that the ring symbolizes the trinity of "Love, Loyalty, and Friendship".