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A short history of the Claddagh Ring |
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Separated by the River Corrib and situated outside the City Walls, The Claddagh was a community of Fisher Folk. It is believed that the Claddagh Ring was first used in this Fishing Village, on the shore of Galway Bay.
With its distinctive design the ring shows two hands holding a crowned heart. This motif is a symbol of love and friendship “Let love and friendship reign”, and was used for hundreds of years as a wedding ring in the Claddagh.
Associated with the Joyce family, one of the tribes of Galway. It is said that Margaret Joyce married Domingo de Rona, a wealthy Spaniard, who when he died left her his fortune, which she used to build bridges in her native province of Connacht. Later she married Oliver Og French, Mayor of Galway in 1596. She was rewarded for her good works and charity by an Eagle which dropped a gold ring onto her lap.
Richard Joyce, while enroute to the West Indies, was captured by Algerian Corsairs, and sold as a slave to a Moorish Goldsmith, who trained him in the art. Released no 1689, at the request of William the Third of England, Richard returned to Galway and set up as a Goldsmith. The Claddagh Motif, which in modern times grows daily in popularity, is an attribute to him.
When the Claddagh ring is worn with the heart and hands outwards, it suggests the wearer is unattached. If however, if it is worn inwards, the wearer is spoken for.
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