As an authentic symbol of Irishness that you can wear on your finger – or in your ears or on your clothes – without the paddywhackery of a shamrock, the Claddagh ring has been enjoying a renaissance, riding on the new wave of pride in Irish culture.
In “Come get a Claddagh ring with me” videos on TikTok, influencers take their followers with them to make their special purchase. Teens unboxed the rings at Christmas to delight. The classic Claddagh has become cool.
The story of the Claddagh ring began four centuries ago when a young Galwegian, Richard Joyce, set sail for the West Indies. Joyce was captured by pirates and sold into slavery in Algeria. His captor was a Moorish goldsmith who taught Joyce the trade. On returning to Galway 14 years later, Joyce created the Claddagh ring. Though it bears similarity to the Roman “fede” ring with its two clasping hands, Joyce’s iconic trilogy features hands, heart and crown to symbolise friendship, love and loyalty.
Dublin jeweller Chupi Sweetman put a modern spin on the ring following a special request last year from Bridgerton actor Nicola Coughlan. While on a world tour to promote season three of the series, Coughlan asked Sweetman to design her a Claddagh to wear at a celebration in her hometown of Galway.
“I’ve always loved Claddagh,” says the designer. “One of my besties got a Claddagh when we were 12 and it was this huge coming-of-age moment to mark going to secondary school.” The bespoke ring she designed for Coughlan, featuring a heart-cut lab-grown diamond set on her signature gold hawthorn twig, is now part of the Chupi collection, along with a Claddagh necklace and earrings, which are being purchased by customers all over the world.
“They are huge in Ireland and for Irish diaspora,” she says. The design has also proven popular with people with no Irish connection. “A while ago on Instagram someone asked could they wear one, was it okay or was it cultural appropriation, and the response was just gorgeous: this outpouring of love from Irish people saying of course you can wear one, celebrate being Irish, celebrate hope!”
As we speak, Sweetman receives another order for a Claddagh, from a customer in Japan. “It’s a ring people buy for themselves,” she says.
The Claddagh design is not just reserved for our fingers. If you’re people-watching in the hipper quarters of Dublin city, you may well find yourself admiring at least one person wearing an eye-catching green and blue scarf with a contemporary take on the Claddagh motif, created by weaver and textile artist Megan Nolan Walsh.
“When I was a kid, my dad got me a Claddagh ring and I’ve had it my whole life; it’s always meant something to me,” she says.
While living in Norway before the Covid lockdown in 2020, Nolan Walsh used a digital loom to create a large woven piece with a Claddagh symbol on it.
“Being Irish was only starting to become trendy. People wanted to buy it, but I wanted to make something that people could afford. Football scarves were popping off at the time, and that’s how it started.” The colourful scarves sold out in a week.
She has since produced more clothing featuring the Claddagh and Éire motifs. “If you’re in a different country and wearing a piece, it’s like ‘Oh, you’re Irish too’, without even needing to have a conversation – you just know. Which is such a nice thing.”
The way the Irish perceive themselves has changed dramatically over the past few years, she believes. “The shame around being Irish has been leaving us, since the ‘90s ... People who have moved away, they still really miss home. They talk about how they miss the culture and the personalities you get in Ireland.”
A recent TikTok trend saw hooped Claddagh earrings become the fashion statement of the moment, but comment sections soon filled up with people warning against purchasing from hyper-fast fashion sites over authentic Irish jewellery shops.
One shop that holds such acclaim is Thomas Dillon’s on Quay Street in Galway. The oldest jewellers in Ireland, it was opened by Jonathan Margetts’ family in 1750.
“About 50 years ago, I asked my father, since we’re the oldest makers of the ring, ‘Can we change the maker’s mark to TD Original?‘ That’s a huge selling point: we’re the original Claddagh ring, it’s stamped on the inside of all of our rings,” says Margetts. “We get a lot of our American cousins in to buy rings, but we of course have lots of local clientele. When you have so many young people leaving the country in the last 10, 20 years, they use it now as a badge of Irishness. If you see someone wearing a Claddagh ring in Australia, you know they’ve got Irish connections.”
He has seen a rise recently in people buying Claddaghs as wedding and engagement rings, and also in the number of men buying them for themselves.
“It’s a big emotional thing,” he says. “We had one lady who wanted a gold Claddagh ring, and she said, ‘Do you mind if [I] connect with the ring?’ I said, ‘Grand, yeah,’ so she took the ring and sat on one of our stools, with the ring pressed to her head for an hour. She just sat there, eyes closed.”
He’s also noticed that younger people are seeking quality. “The age group of 25-35 have no problem lashing out €450 for a Claddagh ring. Then there’s 21st-birthday presents, or mammy and daddy buying for Mary going off to Australia or America. It’s a badge of honour.”
If you look now at a statue of Walt, you’ll see a Claddagh ring on his right hand - it’s ours
— Jonathan Margetts
Dillon’s offer a lifetime guarantee for all customers. and rings can come back “in some state” for their free repair, says Margetts. “They’re handed down. We get so many people coming in with a grandparent’s ring asking for it to be resized. It’s a family heirloom.”
Margetts can name a starry list of celebrities who have purchased TD Originals over the years, from John Wayne to Maureen O’Hara. “One Sunday morning my grandfather got a knock on the door from [a man from] Bord Fáilte. He said he had a very important customer in the car who wanted a Claddagh ring. It was Walt Disney. Of course, my grandfather opened up. If you look now at a statue of Walt, you’ll see a Claddagh ring on his right hand – it’s ours.”
My own mother’s engagement ring was a Claddagh, and my dad chose a matching one as his wedding ring. When my partner, Joe, got down on one knee last summer after a stroll by the sea in my home of Inis Mór, a Claddagh ring in hand, he couldn’t have picked a better emblem of our relationship. The simple white gold Claddagh was the cherry on top of a perfect proposal.
