Being of Irish background I thought it would be fun to give some cool facts about Claddagh traditional Irish rings. The Claddagh has been known to be given in friendship along with as a wedding ring. The design originated in the Irish fishing settlement of Claddagh, located just outside the city of Galway. The ring was first produced in the seventeen hundreds during the time in power of Queen Mary II, though history shows the design are much older.
The Claddagh's characteristic features a crown with two hands clasping a heart. The characteristic of these symbol are often said to correspond to the persona of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and allegiance (the crown). The representation which was associated with these symbols in the presenting of the ring is: "With my hands I give you my heart, and crown it with my love."
The means by a Claddagh ring is worn on the hand is usually on purpose; it conveys the wearer's status of availability, or lack thereof. Traditionally, if the ring is on the left hand ring finger and the hart is pointing toward the body or inward, it commonly indicates that the individual wearing the ring is married. Furthermore if the Claddagh is worn on the left hand ring finger and the heart is pointing outward or away from the body commonly means that the wearer is engaged to be married. Now moving to the right hand; when worn with the heart pointing toward the body or inward, this coveys that the person bearing the ring is in a significant relationship basically someone has captured their heart. But if the ring is pointing away or outward from there body, this coveys that the person bearing the ring is not in a significant relationship, and may in fact be single. It could also indicate that the person is looking for a relationship.
The Claddagh rings have made recurring appearances in movies and TV shows. The ring has often been used as a plot device to indicate the ethnic origins of a character. Sometimes the Claddagh has been used to show relationship status of a character also. Some of the ways the ring is used in movies and TV is to illustrate wedding scenes, or to subtly indicate that the relationship of two characters has changed. Take Oliver Stone's movie, The Doors. In the wedding scene between Val Kilmer (Jim Morrison) and Kathleen Quinlan (Kennealy-Morrison), the two are seen exchanging the Claddagh rings. I am sure there are other movies that have these types of scenes in them but that one happens to stand out in my head.
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