Claddagh Ring

The Claddagh was a fishing village outside the Galway city walls, Irish-speaking and largely self-governing, with its own elected mayor and its own fleet, until it was demolished in the 1930s and replaced with council housing. The ring takes its name from it. The design - two hands for friendship, a heart for love, a crown for loyalty - belongs to a wider European family of fede or faith rings, and the Galway version is generally traced to Richard Joyce, a goldsmith working in the town in the early eighteenth century, with an origin story involving capture by corsairs and training in Algiers that may or may not be true. The convention on wearing it is consistent: on the right hand with the heart outward means unattached, heart inward means attached, and on the left hand with the heart inward means married. Several Galway makers hold long-running claims to the tradition.

What's there

• The design - hands, heart and crown for friendship, love and loyalty.
• The wearing convention - which hand and which way the heart points.
• The Galway makers - jewellers in the city with long-running claims to it.
• The Claddagh village - the fishing community it is named for, demolished in the 1930s.

When to go

Any time; jewellers keep normal retail hours. The original Claddagh village is gone, so there is no site to visit - the ring is the tradition.

What to expect

The village no longer exists; the modern Claddagh is a housing area. Rings are widely mass-produced, and the difference between a Galway-made piece and an import is worth asking about. Prices vary enormously.

Nearby

The Spanish Arch and the Claddagh basin are at the edge of the old village site.