“I am white, specifically mostly Irish and Italian, and this story particularly has to do with the west coast of Ireland. Basically, in the west coast of Ireland, and specifically in the city of Galway- I don’t even think tradition is quite the right word, but there is a symbolic gesture, that goes along with a like very specific object. it’s called a Claddagh ring. The Claddagh symbol is a heart being held on either side by 2 hands with a crown on top of it. I’m fairly sure that it originates from the city of Galway, if not, just the west coast of Ireland. Um, but it, historically symbolizes love, loyalty and friendship, not necessarily to like a crown of any sort. It doesn’t maintain that sort of, like, colonial affiliation with England in any sort of way, but that’s what the symbol, like, visually looks like. Traditionally within Irish culture and something that the Irish friends in my life also very much observe and believe in: You cannot give one to yourself- or you can’t buy one for yourself. It’s considered bad luck to purchase that for yourself. It has to be given to you. I think that that has some kind of cool relation to the way that the Irish language thinks about possession and ownership. There’s actually no way to say that something is yours in the Irish language. You just say that something is on you or with you or near you. I think that’s a pattern in a lot of different native languages too, that that idea of possession actually can’t be directly expressed in the language. I think that that’s kind of an interesting reflection in an important tradition. sometimes Claddaghs are worn as wedding rings, not all the time. There’s also a little bit of I think slightly more modern folklore or like tradition around wearing Claddagh rings, which is that, no matter what finger you’re wearing it on, if you flip the ring around so the heart is like facing away from you, that usually means that you’re single or like that your heart is open. Then if you flip it the other way, it means that you’re married or taken.”

Context: The informant studied abroad for a semester in a university in Galway, which is a city in the Republic of Ireland. They have Irish ancestry and wanted to study abroad in Ireland specifically to get more in touch with their Irish roots. They made many friends during their semester abroad and learned many folkloric traditions that their Irish friends taught them. They were gifted a Claddagh on their last day in Ireland by a group of friends before returning home to the United States, where they currently live and grew up.

Analysis: The ring itself is socially assigned meaning, and symbolizes social status such as being “taken” or “single”. I think the custom that it should not be bought for yourself is really interesting, and its association with bad luck reinforces social bonds. Like many other folklore, this piece of tradition and culture also comes with bad luck consequences if not followed correctly. Since it must be gifted, it gives more meaning when you receive one. The nonverbal communication of one’s relationship status using the heart symbol while wearing the ring creates an esoteric “in” group specifically Irish people who are familiar with the Claddagh ring tradition can recognize. Wearing this ring is also an indication of reinforcement of Irish culture or status.