The Story Behind The Claddagh Ring

The Claddagh is the oldest part of Galway, often referred to as the medieval part of the Galway city. The area was a shattered with Irish cottages over looking the Corrib river towards the Spanish Arch which was the old port of Galway and got it’s name from the Spanish trade ships used to dock. The walk past this is called the Long Walk and we took the inspiration from this for our logo.

Our logo has been inspired by the Long Walk from the Spanish Arch, the oldest part of Galway city.
View of the Long Walk from the Claddagh, Galway

Ring is surrounded by many legends and stories. One of them is about how fishermen would mark their boats with the Claddagh Ring design to signal to other fishermen at sea that they are from Galway. Another is about how Richard Joyce, prisoner in Algiers in the 19th century, created the design as a tribute to Ireland. He came back to Galway once other prisoners and himself got freed, and became a well-known goldsmith.

The Long Walk featured in Ed Sheeran’s Galway Girl, which can be heard on Shop Street, sung by some of the regular Galwegian-and-tourist-beloved buskers. In the official video, Ed & Saorise Ronan end the video from one of the houses on the Long Walk. Check it out for yourself, we have skipped to the part just after the song ends so you can place everything.

Memories of Galway

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