The Story of the Claddagh Ring
by: Jon Crane

Saturday Ramblins, Vol. 2, No. 19 (September 25, 1999)

The symbol of the Claddagh is a deep and abiding one for the Irish. It's meaning goes very deep in my life binding me forever with Lana, the angel of my life.

The Claddagh is two hands holding a heart. At the top of the heart is a crown. Worn as a ring, it encircles the finger with the hands and heart at the top of the circle and is a powerful symbol of love and loyalty.

In ancient times in Ireland, the father of the gods was the Dagda. His power was such that he once caused the sun to stand still for nine months while he pursued a goddess with whom he was infatuated. Legend has it that he is the right hand of the Claddagh.

The universal and ancestral mother of the Celtic people was Anu (later known as Danu). She represents the left hand of the Claddagh. The hands taken together symbolize friendship.

The heart -- at the center of the group -- represents love. It is the heart of all mankind, the source of music of the Irish people. And finally, the crown represents loyalty. Taken together, the Claddagh is a symbol for friendship, love and loyalty.

A native of Galway named Richard Joyce first produced the ring itself in the small village of Claddagh. Captured by pirates in his youth, he was sold as a slave to a Morrish goldsmith where he learned his trade as a jeweler. Released in 1689, he returned to his village and opened a goldsmith's shop. He designed the Claddagh ring based on the old Irish legends, some say for his own lady friend.

The popularity of the ring quickly spread throughout Ireland. When later waves of immigrants moved west to the States, they carried the Claddagh with them where it has remained a dear and treasured part of the Irish-American traditions.

The way the ring is worn has as much meaning as the ring itself. Worn on the ring finger of the right hand with the crown facing inward (towards the wrist), it tells others that you are free and unattached. Worn on the same finger with the crown facing out (toward the tip of the finger), means that someone has caught your fancy.

Worn on the ring finger of the left hand with the crown facing out, tells all the world that your heart has been captured and you belong to someone else.

The angel in my life, Lana, and I wore our silver Claddaghs on our left hands, crowns facing outward. We'd originally planned to replace them with gold wedding Claddagh bands. To the Irishman or Irishwoman, the Claddagh is a testament of the love, friendship and loyalty in the relationship they hold most dear. The hands, heart and crowns we both wore were just that to us.

In the end, we decided to use the simple, silver Claddagh rings we already had as our wedding bands. We loved them that much. When she became ill, Lana made written instructions in the event of her death. She wanted to be cremated wearing the Claddagh I'd given her, on her left ring finger, crown tuned out.

She was.

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