Bronze Claddagh Ring Wall Plaque

Description

Bronze Claddagh Ring Wall Plaque

The Claddagh ring with its distinctive heart, hands and crown symbolises love, friendship and loyalty and was first used as a wedding ring in the tiny fishing village, ‘the Claddagh’, now part of Galway city in the West of Ireland.

Hook on back for wall hanging.

Height 15.2 cm

Width 15.2 cm

The History of the Claddagh

The Claddagh symbol is Ireland’s universal representation of love, friendship and loyalty. The origins of the Claddagh Ring can be traced back to the small fishing town of Claddagh, Co. Galway. Irish folklore recounts that in 1675, a local seafarer by the name of Richard Joyce was captured by pirates and sold as a slave to a Moorish goldsmith.

Torn away from his lover, Joyce was trained in the art and served his master for fourteen years. Upon his eventual release in 1689, Joyce returned to Galway, hoping to find his true love still waiting for him. Whilst enslaved, he fashioned what we now know as the Claddagh Ring as a gift specifically for her.

The Meaning of the Claddagh “Love, Loyalty, Friendship, ” The heart symbolizes Love, the hands Friendship and the Crown Loyalty.