Joyce refused the offer and returned to Galway, where he successfully followed the trade he had learned in his captivity. The master of Richard Joyce had grown very fond of him and begged that he remain with him in freedom, going so far as to offer Joyce his only daughter’s hand in marriage and half his property. His forceful negotiations were successful. In 1689 King William III sent an ambassador to Algeria to demand the release of any and all British subjects who were enslaved in that country, which at the time would have included the Irish. Enslaved, he was purchased by a Moorish goldsmith, who trained him in the craft. The second and more widely known legend is that Richard Joyce was captured by Algerian Corsairs around 1675. The ring became the model for the Claddagh Ring. This miracle was seen as a reward from Heaven for Margaret’s good works. One day an eagle flying overhead dropped a golden ring into her bosom, set with a rare and unknown stone. Margaret was renowned for her charity and for building a great number of bridges at her own expense. After his death she inherited his fortune and remarried Oliver Og French, the Mayor of Galway 1596-7. One Margaret Joyce married a wealthy Spanish trader, Domingo de Rona. There are two legends about the origin of the Claddagh ring. Tradition also holds that the three motifs of the ring are symbolic, the heart for love, the crown for loyalty and the hands for friendship.
Worn on the ring finger of the left hand with the heart outwards it shows that the heart is occupied, but not yet married.On the right hand with the heart worn outwards it indicates that the wearer is single and available for courtship.The manner in which it is worn indicates the status of the wearer. Claddagh rings can also be presented as engagement or wedding rings. However, more modern tradition has the claddagh ring being presented to a child by a parent or grandparent as a coming of age gift. Traditionally a Claddagh Ring is passed from mother to her eldest daughter.
The hands clasp a heart in the manner of presentation with a crown over the heart. Worn as a sign of devotion to a spouse or beloved, this widespread European jewelry tradition evolved a peculiar variation in the West of Ireland that has come to be known as the Claddagh Ring. Since Roman times these consisted of clasped hands and often worked as a pair of two intertwined rings with a hand on each that would slide together. The Claddagh Ring has its roots in a type of finger ring called Fede or faith ring.
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