So if you are looking for the real Claddagh Ring Meaning then read on to find out what it is that you need to know.
The actual word Claddagh should be pronounced as klada and it is the name of a small ancient fishing village that used to exist in the country of Ireland and it was situated at a location very close to center of the current Irish city of Galway.
And now a little bit of history on the village. The Claddagh, as it is often been referred to, was said to be Ireland’s oldest fishing village and it was actually situated on the coast overlooking Galway Bay and just outside of the walls of the City of Galway at the time it existed.
Of course as time has gone by the walls eventually came down and the city grew and expanded into the modern, but still charming and picturesque city, which it has now become today. So in effect the ancient village of Claddagh also grew and just became merged in with the rest of the city as it grew.
If you visit the area in Galway today, in which the village was located, and if you then go just over the Wolfe Tone bridge, located right at the mouth of Claddagh Quay, you will see, that there are still a few homes, which proudly bear the ancient celtic Claddagh insignia outside on their walls.
In the world of jewelry however it is the true Claddagh Ring meaning that is most sought after, but to know that you really also need to know how the village name came to be associate with Celtic jewelry and rings in the first place. And for that story we once again need to go back a long time in to history and back to the days of the Celts and when the Claddagh was still the small fishing village mentioned above.
There is a lot of history around both the village and the Claddagh ring itself. So what you have just read above is the best known version of the location of what took place and hence the naming of the ring in Celtic culture many years ago. Claddagh is in fact the Irish word meaning “the stony beach” (an Cladach) which probably better describes the main feature of the fishing village as it once was.
Of there is another story that you need to know before you fully understand the Claddagh Ring meaning as many know it today. This tale is about someone who was captured and then taken to foreign shores away from his Irish homeland. When eventually he returned several years later he settled down in the ancient fishing village of Claddagh.
But how did the ring get it’s name? From the village obviously, but what was the origin of this jewelry?
The guy that’s was captured was Richard Joyce and he was taken away and initially after his capture he worked as a slave in the West Indies, where he was eventually sold on to a Moorish goldsmith, in whose custody he learned the trade of jewelry making. Some time later, Joyce happily regained his freedom and headed straight back to his home country of Ireland and then found his way to Claddagh where he finally settled down.
As he was now a trained goldsmith Joyce continued in this practice and set himself up by making Celtic jewelry and the Claddagh ring was the first item he produced and he did so to celebrate his own return back home and also to create a symbol for his undying love of his country and those around him. There are of course lost of variations and embellishments to this ancient story, and some say that he inherited the ring as a gift from his Moorish masters. Some suggest a different view that Joyce had nothing to do with it!
Anyway as far as the really Claddagh ring meaning is concerned this does really not matter that much as whichever theory you actually believe has no consequence on the current meaning for the ring. And that is because today everyone totally agrees that this beautiful ring has had a very important history and now a cultural as well as a symbolic meaning that is still significant right up to this very day. And that is what counts to most people!
So today that ancient small Irish fishing village is now extremely famous internationally for the Claddagh ring, which is now just so popular for anyone who has an Irish heritage. And also it is significant as both a friendship and/or a wedding or engagement ring. In essence the symbolic icon of this ring has come to be known over time as a Celtic symbol of friendship. Now that is a bit of a generalization, but it does at least give you an initial overview of what the ring is all about.
For more information on the Claddagh ring meaning you should consider its traditional design that has always consisted of two clasped hands that are holding a crowned heart in them. Today this symbolizes true love, real friendship, loyalty and commitment. Hence the close association with friends, engagements and weddings!
There is a lot of symbolism in this design as the heart of the Claddagh is recognized as a symbol for love, while the crown is a symbol of loyalty and the hands are representing the friendship element. These symbols have been handed down from Celtic ancestors over hundreds of years and that it why they are so cherish today, especially by anyone who has any celtic blood still pumping through their veins.
The Celts were always a proud and independent culture and this can be recognized in many that still live in those areas today. So it is really great that there is still an icon of their past that is so popular today in a modern world and this in itself is testimony to the real Claddagh ring meaning that is still so important to many of us.
These days we often think that real friendship and loyalty are simply becoming increasingly rare every day and it is good to have something that symbolizes the fact that it is still very real for many people.
See all the Claddagh Rings at our:
Let Love and Friendship Reign Forever!
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