Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Celtic Corner - January 2014


CELTIC CORNER:

Many people received a Claddagh Ring for Christmas last year and should be aware of its significance.  Designed and worn in Ireland since the late 1600’s, the Claddagh Ring has enjoyed a growing popularity with Irish exiles the world over. The modern Galway jeweler, Stephen Fallon Ltd. notes that the use of joined hands to denote friendship and the human heart to denote charity is common enough in forms of art which use highly conventionalized symbolism and rings of this general type, known as fidelity rings are not excessively uncommon. However, when referring to the crowned heart supported by two hand, it is stated that this particular style is most definitely the Claddagh Ring and nothing else.

The earliest maker of this design was a Galway goldsmith named Joyce who had learned his craft in a remarkable way. When still a young man, he was taken by Algerian pirates and spent several years in captivity indentured to a Tunisian goldsmith, where he became a skilled craftsman in precious metals. When William III acceded to the throne of England in 1689, he made a treaty with the Moors whereby all of his subjects who were in captivity were freed. Joyce returned to the town of Claddagh in County Galway and pursued a career with his new found skills. He prospered as a goldsmith and several examples of his ecclesiastical works are still in existence. Shortly after his return home, Joyce created a ring design that became popular around the town of Claddagh and gradually across the whole of County Galway. Known as the Claddagh ring, they were kept as heirloom with pride and passed from generation to generation, often being used as wedding rings. Even people of limited means were prepared to exert themselves to make enough money to purchase a good example of the ring. Its popularity continued to spread and after Joyce’s death, the tradition was carried on by the Robinson family who became the principle makers of the ring throughout the 18th century.

As to the meaning of the symbols on the ring, several stories exist. The most likely however, is one that a writer learned from an old Galway shanachy, and it had to do with the history of time. During England’s attempted conquest of Ireland, each generation of Irish resisted the yoke of slavery forced upon them. In 600 years of English intrusion, there were no less than 14 resistance movements- 11 of which were armed rebellions. It was after one of these aborted risings-the Nine Years War of O’Neill, Maguire and O’Donnell against the Crown-that the English decided to end the threat of the Irish clans forever. In 1607, charges of treason were fabricated against the strongest clan Chieftains: those of Tyrone, Tirconnell and Fermanagh and those noble leaders were forced to flee Ireland in what became known as the Flight of the Earls. After the Flight of the Earls, the Irish again found themselves oppressed and in desperation, the next generation rose against the Crown in the Williamite War. In 1691, when the last bastion of Irish resistance in that war fell with the capitulation of Limerick, the English pressed their advantage. The remaining Gaelic aristocracy was either destroyed of forced into exile in what became known as the Flight of the Wild Geese. In exile, the Irish lamented hat the loss of their beloved Erin and preserved their love for Ireland in song and story.


          When the Claddagh Ring was designed, the Flight of the Earls was recent memory and the Flight of the Wild Geese was a current event. Joyce, who was well aware of the heartbreak of a forced exile from Ireland, fashioned the Claddagh Ring as a reminder to all Irishmen of the ties that bound them to the heritage. The two hands of the hearts of Gaelic royalty, and it was cast in gold as a reminder of the riches of Erin stolen by the Saxon invader. It received its name from the little town of Claddagh, the village where Joyce introduced his creation. This is the traditional explanation offered by many Galway natives whose families go back to the days of Joyce and beyond. However, Joyce never left a written explanation of his design and modern jewelers offer more romantic explanations hoping to improve its marketability among non-Irish and it has become very popular with lovers. Today, there is no other ring which can offer the buyer a choice of so many meaning. As is the case with most ancient creations whose origins are clouded by the mists of time, the truth may lie somewhere between the fact and the legend that has combined in the legacy of the Claddagh Ring. As for this writer, my Claddagh ring will always remind me of the hold that Ireland has on my heart.



Correspondence Secretary                                              President

Frank Darcy                                                                    Ken Egan