Galway, an Irish city in the west, is near the ancient fishing village of Claddagh, which is over two thousand years old. Historians dug into the roots of the Claddagh ring to find out more about the people and their culture, as well as their heritage.
A Brief History
Claddagh's residents created a protective wall to keep themselves isolated from the rest of the population and other cultures. They also followed one rule, which was to stay in their village and preserve the unique customs of their people intact. Every male person who was not a member of their community must have been known as a "stranger." An excellent example of this comes from John Leech, an English writer who wrote about the village of Claddagh in Ireland in 1859, who stated, "there is indeed a rule to not intermarry any strangers."
Although Claddagh was a fishing village, it had only one other source of income: the fishing business. All these guys in this town had to go fishing on their traditional Galway hooker boats. When the fish were sold to the public near the Spanish arch, the women began to hawk them outside. As far as the livestock was concerned, only livestock found inside the boundary was brought in. Not one individual in this village ever broke any rules, and every one of them remained within their acceptable limits. For their leaders to exist, their citizens had to work together.
In contrast to British monarchs who pass their thrones on to their heirs, the citizens of Claddagh elect their leader whenever they desire. And that monarch was charged with maintaining the rule of Claddagh. Overall, Claddagh was a fantastic place to live.
Eventually, in the mid-twentieth century, this village was struck by tuberculosis, an infectious disease common at the time. Their conventional cottages were demolished in 1930 due to decreased sanitation, and the council houses took their place. This destroyed their village's originality, but their cultural identity is still intact.
The Claddagh Ring
The most desired items among Claddagh jewelry are rings, necklaces, and earrings, all made from Claddagh crafts. The ring was constructed from symbols that have very little significance in emotions, like romance, commitment, and companionship.
You will see a pair of hands with a heart in the center and a crown above it in this ring. Every symbol on this ring represents just a few different emotions, such as:
- A ring, representing love, is placed in the middle, materialized by a heart.
- In traditional use, a crown traditionally symbolizes royalty, but in Claddagh, it stands for loyalty.
- These two hands symbolize friendship by uniting or holding the heart.
Richard Joyce supposedly created this ring in the seventeenth century and, before that, was a silversmith. He ended up as a slave to a Moorish goldsmith, who used him like a mule. As time went on, he grew close to Joyce.
Joyce started to learn all the smithing techniques that his master had to teach him, and he used this new knowledge to create his pieces of gold jewelry. Joyce was finally returned to Galway after fourteen years in the slavery protest. His soulmate met him right away, and he presented her with the ring he created while under the influence of slavery. The design ring in question is known as the "Claddagh ring."
Women now wear the Claddagh ring on their left ring finger due to the three emotional values and beliefs that it symbolizes.
With its distinct and strange history, this unique village deserves to be celebrated. Explore our selection of Claddagh pendants and pendants here at Celtic Knot Jewelry & Co.
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