TH E CLA DD AG H Although this symbol (or rather combination of 3 symbols) can be seen all over the world, and each piece of the claddagh has a universally understood meaning, the story behind how this design was made is not known by many. There are of course many different versions of the story and there are other stories that are a bit more fanciful, but the most likely history of its creation is as follows: In the early 16th century, a week before he was to be married, an Irish fisher named Richard Joyce was fishing off the coast of Galway. While at sea, his ship was captured by pirates and he was taken to West Africa and sold into slavery to a Moorish goldsmith. Under captivity, Richard worked as a goldsmith for this man for years and became very adept at the craft. After several years passed, Richard was released (due to British rule) by his captor. However, his owner was so impressed with Richards work that he offered Richard his daughter in marriage as well as half of his wealth if he would stay. Richard refused and returned to Ireland to find the girl whom he was to marry. Upon returning to Ireland, Richard found his fiancé still unmarried and waiting for his return. To show his love and respect for her, he forged the claddagh ring with three symbols. The first symbol what that of hands, which signified friendship. The hands held a heart, which signified love. The heart was topped with a crown, which signified loyalty. Richard gave the ring to the woman he loved, married her and they settled in the village of Claddagh (hence the name). Although the village no longer exists, the claddaghs significance has not diminished. It is now worn as a sign of love, loyalty and friendship.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 06:53:32 +0000
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