CLADDAGH RING

The 'Claddagh ring' is a traditional Irish ring, given in friendship or worn as a wedding ring. The design and customs associated with it originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the old walls of the city of Galway. The ring was first produced in the 17th Century during the reign of Queen Mary II, though elements of the design are much older.

Contents

Symbolism

Origin

Popular culture

Notes

References

External links

Symbolism

The Claddagh's distinctive design features two hands clasping a heart, and usually surmounted by a crown. The elements of this symbol are often said to correspond to the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and loyalty (the crown). The expression which was associated with these symbols in the giving of the ring was: "Let love and friendship reign."
The way that a Claddagh ring is worn on the hand is usually intended to convey the wearer's romantic availability, or lack thereof. Traditionally, if the ring is on the right hand with the heart facing outward and away from the body, this indicates that the person wearing the ring is not in any serious relationship, and may in fact be single and looking for a relationship: "their heart is open." When worn on the right hand but with the heart facing inward toward the body, this indicates the person wearing the ring is in a relationship, or that "someone has captured their heart". A Claddagh worn on the left hand ring finger, facing outward away from the body, generally indicates that the wearer is engaged. When the ring is on the left hand ring finger and facing inward toward the body, it generally means that the person wearing the ring is married.^[1]

Origin

There are also a variety of legends about the origins of the ring
One tale is about Margareth Joyce, a woman of the Joyce clan. She married a Spanish merchant named Domingo de Rona. She went with him to Spain, but he died and left her a large sum of money. She returned to Ireland and, in 1596, married Oliver Ogffrench, the mayor of Galway. With the money she inherited from her first marriage, she funded the construction of bridges in Connacht. All this out of charity, so one day an eagle dropped the Claddagh ring into her lap, as a reward
Another story tells of a Prince who fell in love with a common maid. To convince her father his feelings were genuine and he had no intentions of "using" the girl, he designed a ring with hands representing friendship, a crown representing loyalty, and a heart representing love. He proposed to the maid with this ring, and after the father heard the explanation of the symbolism of the ring, he gave his blessing.
One legend that may be closer to historical truth is of a man named Richard Joyce, another member of the Joyce clan and a native of Galway. He left his town to work in the West Indies, intending to marry his love when he returned. However his ship was captured and he was sold as a slave to a Moorish goldsmith. In Algiers, with his new master, he was trained in his craft. When William III became king, he demanded the Moors release all British prisoners. As a result, Richard Joyce was set free. The goldsmith had such a great amount of respect for Richard Joyce that he offered Joyce his daughter and half his wealth if Joyce stayed, but he denied his offer and returned home to marry his love who awaited his return. During his time with the Moors he forged a ring as a symbol of his love for her. Upon his return he presented her with the ring and they were married.
The Irish Potato Famine (1845–1849) caused many to emigrate from Ireland, and the Claddagh ring spread along with the emigrants to the United States and elsewhere. Now the design is worn worldwide. These rings are often considered heirlooms, and passed on from mother to daughter as well as between friends and lovers.
A "Fenian" Claddagh, without the crown, was later designed in Dublin for the Irish Republican community, but that is not an indication that the crown in the original design was intended as a symbol of fidelity to the British crown. The Fenian Claddagh, while still being made, has not approached the popularity of the ancient design.
The Claddagh ring is a variant of older rings called "Fede" rings which date to Roman times.^[2]

Popular culture

Claddagh rings have made periodic appearances in popular movies, television and music.
In the ''Buffy The Vampire Slayer'' season two episode, "Surprise", Angel gives a Claddagh ring to Buffy for her 17th birthday. In a later episode, another suitor, Scott, also attempts to give Buffy a Claddagh, which she rejects. The popularity of the TV show led to an increased popularity of the rings. Joss Whedon, the creator of ''Buffy'', took some liberties with the traditional meanings, reinterpreting them somewhat to better suit the storyline of the show.
At their Celtic Pagan handfasting, musician Jim Morrison of The Doors and author Patricia Kennealy-Morrison exchanged Claddagh rings. A picture of the rings was included on the cover of Kennealy-Morrison's book, ''Strange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison'', and the Claddaghs can be seen in most of her author photos as well.^[3]
In a scene loosely based on the above ceremony, Val Kilmer and Kathleen Quinlan, as fictional versions of Morrison and Kennealy-Morrison, are also seen exchanging the rings in Oliver Stone's movie, ''The Doors''.

Notes

1. Murphy, Colin, and Donal O'Dea (2006) ''The Feckin' Book of Everything Irish''. New York, Barnes & Noble. p.126 ISBN 0-7607-8219-9
2. The Story of the Claddagh Ring from ''Pot O'Gold'' online. Accessed 9 Feb 2007
3. Strange Days: My Life With And Without Jim Morrison, , Patricia, Kennealy, Dutton/Penguin, 1992, ISBN 0-525-93419-7

References

★ McAdoo, Patricia, with illustrations by James Newell (2005) ''Claddagh: The Tale of the Ring''

★ Pearsall, Judy [ed] (2004) "Claddagh Ring" in ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary''. Oxford University Press

★ Sammon, Paddy (2002) ''Greenspeak: Ireland in Her Own Words" Town House Press. ISBN 1-860-59144-2

External links

★ The story behind the Claddagh ring - RTÉ news feature (click on "Watch the Show" under the image on the right)