CLADDAGH
Claddagh Legend
Claddagh Ring Story
Its origin is associated with one of the tribes of Galway, the Joyce family. Local fisherman Richard Joyce was due to marry his love, a local girl, but was captured by Algerian pirates and sold as a slave to a Moorish goldsmith, where he learned the trade. Many years later, he was released from slavery, and despite being induced to stay, he returned to Galway and his sweetheart, who had waited for him. The legend goes that he presented her with the first Claddagh ring and they got married. Forged with the skills he had learnt during his imprisonment, it was a token of his enduring love. "With these hands, I give you my heart, and I crown it with my love".
Claddagh Ring Meaning
Irish Claddagh ring ('Fáinne Chladaigh' in Irish), is used in Ireland as an engagement, friendship and wedding ring. The Claddagh symbol is an iconic, timeless Irish design consisting of two clasped hands holding a crowned heart, where the heart means love, the hands symbolise friendship, and the crown represents loyalty.
Did you know that how you wear your claddagh ring tells others a story about you?
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