The object I chose for this post is my Claddagh ring. I’m practically 100% Irish on both sides, with an ambiguous amount of German on my dad’s side (along with Irish) and a family legend of a splash of royal Norwegian blood on my mom’s side—a love child between my Irish grandma and a Norwegian prince three generations back. But the Irish is what I stick to and feel the most close to. I feel this connection more deeply through my mom’s side, her parents were immigrants from Ireland and three of her older siblings were born there. It wasn’t until I became a teenager that I began to take a deeper interest into my close Irish heritage and their culture. I started to read more about Ireland, watch shows and documentaries, and I started to ask my mom more questions about her memories of Ireland when she would visit as a kid, and the stories that her mom would tell. Her dad didn’t like to talk much about Ireland—he grew up in the West to a poor farming family and experienced hard living. Whereas my grandma grew up in the North, in Derry City, and had fonder memories. My mom loved hearing stories from her mom about growing up in Ireland, and all the cast of characters that my grandma had known while there. My love for Ireland came from my mom’s love for Ireland, which was instilled in her by her mom’s love for Ireland. Out of all of my siblings, (I’m the youngest of four) I was the one to take the keenest interest into Ireland and could talk for hours with my mom about our family there and hear all of the rich stories.

My deep love for Ireland was known in my family, which is why it meant so much to me when one of my brothers got me a Claddagh ring for Christmas a few years ago. I was so excited, elated, and touched when I opened the jewelry box and saw it patiently waiting there. The Claddagh ring is one of the most known symbols of Ireland and I couldn’t wait to proudly wear it. From that day on I have worn it every day and feel out of place when I don’t have it on. I know my brother got it from a local jewelry store in my hometown, but I don’t know anything else about its manufacture—was it designed and created in Ireland and shipped over here? This ring lacks the heirloom quality that most Claddagh rings have, but it inspires me to start that tradition if I have children one day, and pass it down, and keep the story and love of Ireland alive.

The Claddagh ring is one of the most fascinating objects to me. It has a duality to it. It has a utilitarian use, while also used as an adornment. At its most base level, the way in which the Claddagh ring is worn communicates to the world whether you’re single (the heart is out) or whether you’re taken (the heart is in). The message is a bit cheeky, with hints of flirtation embedded. Just by looking at the wearer’s finger, a person can know whether they can pursue this person or not. Then there’s the symbolism in the details of the ring—two hands clasping a heart, with a crown on top. The hands symbolize friendship, the heart, love, and the crown, loyalty. It’s such a simple piece of jewelry that manages to communicate so much all at once. The ring can be given to a lover, a friend, or a family member. There are various versions of the ring—mine is plain silver and very simple, while others can be more flashy with gems. The Claddagh ring is also very progressive—both men and women can wear them. The ring is named after a small fishing village outside of Galway City and has multiple origin stories of how it first came to be—but in all the stories the ring was used to express love. The ring has a significant meaning within families, as it’s typically given by a mother to the oldest daughter, with the purpose of being continuously passed down. When a lot of the Irish first immigrated to America during the famine, this was one of the few possessions a family would have and was kept as an heirloom, and sometimes was their only form of monetary savings.

I received the ring in an untraditional way—from my brother instead of my mom, and I’m the youngest daughter. However, I believe this symbolizes the changing nature in which the ring is viewed and worn. I believe it used to have a much more religious and traditional role, and while it still does, the ring has become a bit more liberalized, just like the country of Ireland itself. In recent years, Ireland is distancing themselves from the controls of the Catholic Church, as a new, more progressive, generation is coming up (they’re the first country to legalize same sex marriage and have made abortions legal). The ring can still be used for sacred purposes, like a wedding ring, or it can just be worn as a proud statement of one’s heritage, or just simply as a piece of jewelry, for those that perhaps aren’t Irish. While the beautiful meaning and symbolism behind the ring still stand, the purpose of the ring, and who can wear it, has become more flexible, in conjunction with a changing, liberalized Ireland.

Source: https://www.celtic-weddingrings.com/claddagh-ring-meaning es