Claddagh Ring

I was given my first claddagh ring at birth and have had five since then. The claddagh ring is an Irish ring which represents grá, dílseacht, cairdeas. Or love, loyalty, and friendship. The heart represents love, the crown loyalty, and the hands friendship. The ring is worn with the heart facing out towards the finger tips when someone is single and their heart is open for love and worn facing inward when someone's heart is taken.  Theirs myth that says it's bad luck to buy yourself a claddagh ring so they must always be given to someone by a person who loves them. 

The claddagh ring pictured above was given to me on my 18th birthday by one of my friends who has earned the title anam cara. Both of us come from Irish families and appreciate the reflect on the traditions and culture we come from. The term anam cara means soul friend and is the Irish belief that just like everyone has a romantic soul mate, they also have a soul friend. Being inseparably close, we felt that term described us well. 

In class, we began discussing who heirlooms get passed on to in situations of queerness or lack of relation. As an asexual who also doesn't experience romantic attraction, and has no desire for children, this thought has crossed my mind a few times before. But when I was given this ring, I passed one of my own on to my anam cara. I gave her the claddagh ring I was given in eighth by my father. This also reminds me of what Dowoti was saying about giving heirlooms to people who understand and appreciate their value. 

For me, this ring carries the meaning of my heritage and identity ad well as the friendships and relationships that have lead to all of the claddagh rings I've had in my life.

In reality, the ring is just a piece of silver forming a few visual icons and a ring shape. All of the value and sentiment placed on it comes from the knowledge and background of the wearer.

Posted by Briana Lynch.