The Claddagh Ring
In the 1990s Sue and I would make annual winter trips to Ireland for a trade show held in Dublin at the RDS in Ballsbridge. Showcase was a way to meet potential artists and craftsmen to supply our business. It was a great time for people watching. I made some observations about Irish jewelry on these trips. Nearly half the passengers on these flights were wearing Claddagh rings. There were many older Irish on the planes taking advantage of low winter fares to visit their sojourner offspring in the States. Many younger people were returning to visit family and friends. Being Irish, many of our fellow passengers were quick to strike up a conversation. Of course, you could tell if the people were Irish born by their accents. As a rule, the Irish passengers who had lived for a while in the New World were much more likely to be wearing a Claddagh ring than those who were visiting from Ireland. My take on it was that those who were now living outside of Ireland wanted a reminder of their roots. The Claddagh ring served as a sign of their heritage. In this way they shared with the Irish – Americans who were also using the jewelry to express their identity.
Detailed Claddagh Band in 14K Yellow Gold
Roots in the Fede Ring
The Claddagh Ring has its roots in a type of finger ring called Fede or faith ring. Since Roman times these consisted of clasped hands and often worked as a pair of two intertwined rings with a hand on each that would slide together. Worn as a sign of devotion to a spouse or beloved, this widespread European jewelry tradition evolved a peculiar variation in the West of Ireland that has come to be known as the Claddagh Ring. The hands clasp a heart in the manner of presentation with a crown over the heart.
Wearing the Claddagh Ring
By tradition, a Claddagh Ring is passed from mother to her eldest daughter. The manner in which it is worn indicates the status of the wearer. On the right hand with the heart worn outwards it indicates that the wearer is single and available for courtship. Worn on the ring finger of the left hand with the heart outwards it shows that the heart is occupied, but not yet married. Worn on the left ring finger with the heart facing inwards the Claddagh Ring declares that the wearer is married. Tradition also holds that the three motifs of the ring are symbolic, the heart for love, the crown for loyalty and the hands for friendship.
Matching Claddagh Bands in Sterling Silver and 14K Yellow Gold
The Legends of the Claddagh Ring
There are two legends about the origin of the Claddagh ring. Both involve members of the Joyce tribe. One Margaret Joyce married a wealthy Spanish trader, Domingo de Rona. After his death she inherited his fortune and remarried Oliver Og French, the Mayor of Galway 1596–7. Margaret was renowned for her charity and for building a great number of bridges at her own expense. One day an eagle flying overhead dropped a golden ring into her bosom, set with a rare and unknown stone. This miracle was seen as a reward from Heaven for Margaret’s good works. The ring became the model for the Claddagh Ring.
The second and more widely known legend is that Richard Joyce was captured by Algerian Corsairs around 1675. Enslaved, he was purchased by a Moorish goldsmith, who trained him in the craft. In 1689 a diplomatic mission to Algeria to demand the release of any and all British subjects who were enslaved in that country, which at the time would have included the Irish. These forceful negotiations were successful. The goldsmith master of Richard Joyce had grown very fond of him and plead that he remain with him in freedom, going so far as to offer Joyce his only daughter’s hand in marriage and half his property. Joyce refused the offer and returned to Galway, where he successfully followed the trade he had learned in his captivity. In the more romantic versions of the tale he marries the sweetheart that faithfully waited fourteen years for him. The earliest Claddagh Ring examples that can be reliably dated do, in fact, bear the mark of goldsmith Richard Joyce, who was active in Galway circa 1689–1737.
The Ring That Never Went Away
I asked my friend Aidan Breen about the revival of the Claddagh ring. Aidan is a Celtic jeweler and silversmith who has been working in Dublin since the 1950s. Aidan was very quick to point out that there has not been a revival of the Claddagh ring because it never went away. Author James Joyce mentioned a Claddagh ring in his 1918 novel Ulysses. A popular song of the mid-20th century was Rose of Ornamore, also called The Old Claddagh Ring. These cultural notices of the Claddagh Ring helped the design grow from being a very local tradition to a national Irish phenomenon and then exported to the world.
Claddagh Rings were very commonly used in the area around Galway since the late 17th century. The Claddagh is a fishing village on the outskirts of Galway City. It was a local fashion, which although it began to get wider notice in the early 20th century, was never really a part of the Celtic Revival. Towards the end of the 20th century there was an explosion of interest in the Claddagh Ring, both as jewelry and as an icon of Irishness that now adorns many other objects from pub signs to grave stones. In more recent years it has been embellished with interlace designs and combined with other Celtic and Irish symbols, but this is a very recent phenomenon that corresponds with the worldwide expansion in popularity of the Claddagh ring as an emblem of Irish identity.
Shop Handcrafted Claddagh Jewelry
Every Claddagh ring and pendant in our collection is handcrafted in Andover, NY — carrying forward the same tradition those Dublin passengers were wearing on those winter flights.
Claddagh Rings → Pendants, Earrings & More →Related Reading
- Claddagh Ring History and Symbolism — Full reference on the symbols, wearing traditions, and complete legends
- Celtic Jewelry for Weddings — How the Claddagh and other Celtic rings are used in wedding traditions
- How to Find Her Ring Size (without ruining the surprise) — Practical guide for giving a Claddagh as a gift
About the Author
Stephen Walker has been handcrafting Celtic jewelry in Andover, NY since 1984. His annual trade trips to Ireland and longstanding friendships with Dublin silversmiths like Aidan Breen give him a firsthand perspective on Irish jewelry tradition few American craftsmen share.
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