Where is The Claddagh I wondered? On a recent visit to Ireland I took Bus Eireann from Dublin Airport to Salthill, Galway to see Claddagh Bay. Even though summer, it was a cold and blustery day so I quickly walked to the end of the promenade and kicked the wall to insure my good luck then took the bus into Galway City.
A very short time later I got off at the statue of Thomas Nicholas Burke (1830-1883) a famous Dominican preacher and writer near the Claddagh and within walking distance of Galway Museum and Galway City. The Claddagh, from the Irish ‘An Cladach‘ means ‘flat stony shore‘, is now a modern village and recreational park. The thatched roof cottages were removed in 1937 and replaced with modern housing.
A very short time later I got off at the statue of Thomas Nicholas Burke (1830-1883) a famous Dominican preacher and writer near the Claddagh and within walking distance of Galway Museum and Galway City. The Claddagh, from the Irish ‘An Cladach‘ means ‘flat stony shore‘, is now a modern village and recreational park. The thatched roof cottages were removed in 1937 and replaced with modern housing. 
The monument is engraved: I lionta De go gcastar sinn "In the lines of God may we be entwined."
Looking across the water from the park is Long Walk, the colorful houses of Galway along the river Corrib that are often mistaken to be the village of the Claddagh. It is entered through the Spanish Arch built as part of the medeival wall in the 18th century by the Eyre family. Fishing boats line the shore painted in bright blue and green colors. These waters have supplied the city with fish since the 5th century.
The sky is heavy with clouds but the air mild with many people fishing for mackerel,perch, salmon and other native fish, walking on the beach or exercising. You can easily walk back to Salthill from here but then you would miss the perfect pint of Guinness, unforgettable music and craic in the nearby pubs.
The Galway museum has preserved many artifacts of the Claddagh. Visit the bookstore and research your ancestors, see the exhibits of Galway shawls and full scale fishing boats with implements. Contemplate the life of a Gaelic speaking Irish fisherman from these shores in this beautiful building.
More famous than the shore of Claddagh Bay is the History of the Claddagh Ring -
Once upon a time, Richard Joyce of Galway who was about to be married was captured by the pirates and sold to a Moorish goldsmith who trained him in the craft. While enslaved he fashioned a ring with two hands holding a heart and crown. In1689 he was released from slavery by a grant from King William III. His reputation was well known and the Moor offered him a position as the kings first alchemist if he would remain in Algiers, but Joyce said he must return to the land of his love. When he returned to the village of Claddagh he brought the ring with him and gave it to his betrothed who had remained faithful and was still waiting. The earliest Claddagh rings bear his mark and the initial letters of his name, RJ (Richard Joyce).
How to wear the Claddagh Ring:
Wear the ring on your right hand, the crown turned inwards and the ring will symbolize love, loyalty, friendship.
Wear the ring on your right hand, the crown turned outwards and the heart towards your heart if your heart is taken.
Wear the ring on your left hand, the crown turned outwards and the heart towards your heart if you're committed to each other.
The Galway Shawl
I often ask about the song "The Galway Shawl" what exactly was a Galway shawl. A weaver once explained that it had to be exactly square and when folded in a triangle the point came to the bottom of the derriere. In a hand bound paperback book published in 1872 How To Spend a Month in Ireland by Sir Cusack P. Roney, published by MacLashan & Gill for 1 shilling, it says,
'The women and girls wear red petticoats that descend to the ankles; the feet are naked.The hair is worn close round the head and hangs down the back; over this they throw a cloak - the remnants of the Spanish mantilla - blue cloaks, black cloaks, often crimson cloaks, picturesquely folded over the head, and fastened under the chin.'
The page continues 'Galway should not be left without a visit to the Claddagh, a quarter near the harbour, inhabited chiefly by fishermen who have many peculiar customs and are in all respects a curious race, seldom intermarrying with other inhabitants and having a chief they call the King of the Claddagh who decides all disputes among themselves.' A Dominican, Fr. Thomas Folan, was chief in 1851 and interceded in many fisherman disputes. A king is still elected in the Claddagh.
Claddagh Design Products
Claddagh designs influence jewelry, apparel, wedding gifts and more. You can buy Christening gowns, Wedding bands, diamond rings, emerald rings, Communion dresses, Stained Glass Lamps, Christmas figurines and ornaments with the Claddagh symbol.
Claddagh Ring Story of Galway by Rita O'Dowd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Belgium License.
Based on a work at claddaghbay.blogspot.com
Claddagh Ring Story Galway by R O'Dowd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.claddaghbay.com.
