The Meaning of the Claddagh

By Caurie Anne Putnam

If you look at a traditional Claddagh ring, you will see a heart held by two hands, adorned with a crown (or fleur de lis) The heart represents love, the crown represents loyalty, and the hands represent friendship. In sum, the Meaning of the Claddagh is: “Love, loyalty, friendship” or, as the designers of the original Claddagh said, “Let love and friendship reign.”

Thanks to the interest of famous Claddagh wearers like Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and President John F. Kennedy, many people worldwide can recognize the Claddagh and understand its meaning. Yet, the Claddagh’s meaning goes even beyond its traditional symbolism. To each wearer of the Claddagh, the ring has an even deeper meaning – a personal reason why “love, loyalty, and friendship” is displayed prominently on their hand.

A Claddagh Tradition

To me personally – a third generation Irish American – the Claddagh ring means everything it does “by the book” and more. The Claddagh ring is a link to my past and a nod to my present. You see, in my family the Claddagh ring is a symbol that holds us all together – no matter where in the world we are or what time in history we are in. My cousins in Ireland wear them, my grandparents in New York wear them, my deceased relatives who immigrated from the Mother Land to Ellis Island wore them, and each child in my family now receives one on their First Communion. To me, the Claddagh means I am Irish and of my own particularly close knit Irish family.

 However, you do not have to be Irish by blood to wear the Claddagh! My husband is a Russian Jew by birth, yet he proudly wears a Claddagh that I presented to him on our wedding day. To each Claddagh wearer there is a different story to be told – yet in sum each story is the same – the meaning of the Claddagh is “love, loyalty and friendship.” Forever.