A Claddagh ring () is a traditional Irish ring with three primary features: a heart to represent love, a crown to represent loyalty, and two clasped hands which symbolise friendship.George Frederick Kunz (1911). Rings for the Finger: From the Earliest Known Times, to the Present, with Full Descriptions of the Origin, Early Making, Materials, the Archaeology, History, for Affection, for Love, for Engagement, for Wedding, Commemorative, Mourning, Etc. Philadelphia; London: J. B. Lippincott Co.William Jones (1877). Finger Ring Lore: Historical, Legendary, Anecdotal. London: Chatto and Windus. . The design and customs associated with it originated in Claddagh, County Galway. Its modern form was first produced in the 17th century.Shane Dawson (1994). "Galway Goldsmiths, Their Marks and Ware". Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society. . 46:43–64. Claddagh rings have been used as Engagement ring and in Middle Ages and Renaissance. The oldest surviving examples of the Claddagh ring have been forged by Bartholomew Fallon.
In recent years, it has been embellished with interlace designs and combined with other Celtic and Irish symbols, corresponding with its popularity as an emblem of Irish identity.Stephen Walker (2013) The Modern History of Celtic Jewellery: 1840-1980, Walker Metalsmiths .
As an example of a maker, Bartholomew Fallon was a 17th-century Irish goldsmith, based in Galway, who made Claddagh rings until circa 1700. His name first appears in the will of one Dominick Martin, also a jeweller, dated 26 January 1676, in which Martin willed Fallon some of his tools. Fallon continued working as a goldsmith until 1700. His are among the oldest surviving examples of the Claddagh ring, in many cases bearing his signature.Adrian James Martyn. (2001) The Tribes of Galway, p. 60.
There are many about the origins of the ring, particularly concerning Richard Joyce, a silversmith from Galway circa 1700, who is said to have invented the Claddagh design.George Quinn. (1970) The Claddagh Ring, The Mantle, 13:9–13. Legend has it that Joyce was captured and enslaved by Algerian Corsairs around 1675 while on a passage to the West Indies; he was sold into slavery to a Moors goldsmith who taught him the craft. King William III sent an ambassador 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 Richard Joyce. After fourteen years, Joyce was released and returned to Galway and brought along with him the ring he had fashioned while in captivity: what we've come to know as the Claddagh. He gave the ring to his sweetheart, married, and became a goldsmith with "considerable success".James Hardiman (1820), The History of the Town and County of the Town of Galway, His initials are in one of the earliest surviving Claddagh rings, but there are three other rings also made around that time bearing the mark of goldsmith Thomas Meade.
The Victorian antiquarian Sir William Jones described the Claddagh, and gives Chambers' Book of DaysRobert Chambers. (1863) Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities. as the source, in his book Finger-Ring Lore. Jones says:
An account written in 1906 by William Dillon, a Galway jeweller, claimed that the "Claddagh" ring was worn in the Aran Isles, Connemara and beyond.William Dillon. (1906) Journal of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society, 5. Knowledge of the ring and its customs spread within Ireland and Britain during the Victorian period, and this is when its name became established. Galway jewellers began to market it beyond the local area in the 19th century. Further recognition came in the 20th century.
While Claddagh rings are sometimes used as friendship rings, they are most commonly used as engagement and wedding rings. Mothers sometimes give these rings to their daughters when they come of age. Several mottos and wishes are associated with the ring, such as: "Let love and friendship reign."Jo O'Donoghue and Sean McMahon (2004) Brewer's Dictionary of Irish Phrase and Fable In Ireland, the United States, Canada, and other parts of the Irish diaspora, the Claddagh is sometimes handed down mother-to-eldest daughter or grandmother-to-granddaughter.Patricia McAdoo. (2005) Claddagh: The Tale of the Ring: A Galway Tale, Galway Online. .
+ Relationship status ! !! Left hand !! right hand |
According to Irish author Colin Murphy, a Claddagh ring is traditionally worn to convey the wearer's relationship status:Colin Murphy and Donal O'Dea. (2006) The Feckin' Book of Everything Irish, Barnes & Nobles, New York, NY, p. 126.
In both Ireland and the Irish diaspora, other localized variations and oral traditions involve the hand and the finger on which the Claddagh is worn. Folklore about the ring is relatively recent, not ancient, with the lore about them almost wholly based in oral tradition; there is "very little native Irish writing about the ring", hence, the difficulty today in finding any scholarly or non-commercial source that explains the traditional ways of wearing the ring.Seán McMahon. (2005) Story of the Claddagh Ring, Mercier Press, Cork, Ireland.
The ring can be found on actors such as Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne, who received their rings during the movie "The Quiet Man". Peter O'Toole and Daniel Day-Lewis were frequently seen wearing the Claddagh ring, as well as Mia Farrow and Gabriel Byrne. Jim Morrison and Patricia Kennealy completed their Celtic wedding with Claddagh rings. Brothers Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher of English rock band Oasis (band) are of Irish heritage and have worn matching Claddagh rings over the years.
In the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Claddagh ring is seen when Angel presents the ring to Buffy as a birthday present.
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