The Claddagh ring worn on the right hand, crown turned inwards tells that the wearers heart is yet unoccupied, worn with the crown turned outward reveals love is being considered.

Wearing the Claddagh ring on the left hand the crown turned outwards shows all, that the wearers heart is truly spoken for.

By tradition the ring is taken to signify the wish that Love and friendship should reign supreme. The hands signify friendship, the crown loyalty, and the heart love. It is the traditional Irish wedding band.

The ring has become popular outside Connemara since the middle of the last century - its spread being helped by the vast exodus from the West during the great Famine in 1847-49.

These rings were kept as heirlooms with great pride and passed from mother to daughter. Today, the ring is worn extensively across Ireland.

The Claddagh Ring belongs to a widespread group of finger rings called Fede or "Faith rings" which date from Roman times. They are distinguished by having the bezel cut or cast in the form of two clasped hands, symbolising faith, trust or "plighted troth". Fede rings were popular in the Middle Ages throughout Europe, and there are examples from this time in the National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin. The "Claddagh" ring is a particularly distinctive ring; two hands clasp a heart surmounted by a crown.