Irish symbolism has emerged as a strong fashion motif in the 2020s, from homegrown design to the runways of London Fashion Week. Historian Laura Fitzachary delves into the history and popularity of Irish iconography.
'The Claddagh ring is having a moment,' is a phrase that has been banded about the last few months, but does that mean that Irish symbolism is becoming (or possibly has become) a micro-trend?
Short-lived, small-scale trends that lose popularity as quickly as they gained it are a by-product of social media and cultural moments. Typically niche and influenced by fast fashion or virality, this surely wouldn’t apply to enduring Irish symbols like the harp, shamrock, triskele or the Claddagh motif…would it?
Irish symbolism has emerged as a strong fashion motif so far in the 2020s, from homegrown design to the runways of London Fashion Week, but can an appreciation for iconography exist without an acknowledgement of its heritage?
Take the Claddagh ring, for example: to a historian, such as myself, it is a piece of jewellery that has quite an uncertain origin story, courtesy of the myth and folklore attached to it. The initial design of the Claddagh ring has often been attributed to 18th-century Galway-based goldsmith Richard Joyce.
But alternative origin stories vary from the rational, such as competing goldsmiths in Cork, to the absurd, such as an eagle dropping the original design into the lap of one Margaret Joyce in the much earlier 16th century.
Wading through myth and folklore, some stories even shift timelines somewhat to suggest Margaret and Richard Joyce were related. Either way, the Claddagh ring’s beginnings remain up for debate.
The history of the Claddagh ring was reignited in 2020 when the Galway City Museum displayed one of the (if not the) oldest Claddagh ring(s) in existence, dating to c. 1700, and bearing Richard Joyce's mark, alongside their copy of James Hardiman's History of Galway published in 1820, over 80 years after Joyce died.
Hardiman's work should be approached with caution, but in it, he mentions how a Galway native, 'Joyes', had been captured during a journey to the West Indies by an Algerian corsair and was then taught goldsmithing by a Turk after being purchased as a slave in Algiers.
It is not explained how Joyce returns to Galway, but it is suggested that he brought goldsmithing techniques (and subsequently the idea for the Claddagh ring) home with him.
Alongside Joyce's ring is another early ring dating to the same time, by Thomas Meade from Kinsale, Cork and bearing a similar design: hands supporting a crowned heart. This suggests that such rings were known in Galway, but also in Kinsale in the early 18th century.
The term 'Claddagh' was not coined until 1841-1843, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Carter Hall's three-volume description of Ireland published in London. They are the pair who claim to visit the fishing village of Claddagh, noting the peculiar tradition of solid gold wedding rings being passed from mother to daughter.
They enlisted the help of other visitors to Ireland to aid them in amassing stories (their book contains an image of a fede ring that they title 'a Claddagh ring'), and among such help was Thomas Crofton Croker.
If he was the one (very likely) who told them about the Claddagh ring, it must be taken with a pinch of salt as his other works have previously been discredited as historically inaccurate (see Irish Fairy Legends, 1825.)
This is before even noting that solid gold rings were beyond the means of those working in a fishing village in 1840s Ireland, and that the earliest rings were quite big and likely worn by men. The design of hands holding a crowned heart is likely an interpretation of a fede ring (from the Italian, ‘hands clasped in faith’), a design suited to local taste, with all three motifs together becoming associated with Ireland.
The Halls obviously prompted an interest in the 'Claddagh ring', and perhaps goldsmiths already based in Galway, adopted the newfound interest and title to sell their wares. This also led to the production of Claddagh scarf rings and brooches (from the 1850s to 1900), extending the motif beyond a mere ring to sell more products, much like the way hoops, scarves and pendants exist today.
Though there is online discourse fearing that poor-quality Claddagh hoops may end up in landfills, the solution to preventing a rapid rise (and equally a rapid decline) in Irish iconography in fashion is to look toward more sustainable design and investment pieces.
Designers such as Megan Nolan Walsh (whose Claddagh-clad scarves have been spotted frequently on wearers over the last few years) and Pellador (a number of their designs feature triskeles) have embraced reclaiming such symbols and presenting them to a modern audience.
It’s important to reclaim symbols like the Claddagh motif and harp, and especially attempts at poaching Irish design: lest we forget journalist and Galway native Sarah Magliocco calling out ASOS for producing similarly designed hoops without even the faintest reference to the original Claddagh design, back in 2020.
Not @ASOS making earrings out of the claddagh ring that has been a huge part of Irish culture and heritage since the 1700s and NOT EVEN GIVING CREDIT??? And calling it 'ASOS Design?' #asos pic.twitter.com/MxAobl1zUX
— Sarah Magliocco (@SarahMagliocco) August 23, 2020
In Irish fashion, MNW and Pellador FC have been slowly building their brands that use Irish iconography not as a trend but as the foundation of their design aesthetic, paying homage to Ireland, its heritage and nostalgia.
This homage to nostalgia also manifested on the runways of London Fashion Week over the last few years in the work of Robyn Lynch. Her Menswear AW24 show blended upcycled outerwear from CP Company with her Irish roots, visible in the form of Irish dancing costumes (embroidered with early-Irish-inspired motifs by John Carey). This was following on from her AW22 show, where diamanté depictions of the island of Ireland adorned shorts.
From depicting Ireland itself to one of its most famous exports, in Milan June, 2024, JW Anderson’s SS25 revealed a collection of items inspired by Guinness, its iconography, and the art of branding. The collection was inspired by the JW Anderson team's visit to the drinks company's brewery.
Paying homage to the look, texture and colour scheme of the beverage, pieces mixed elements of inclusive luxury with wearable fabrics to create the likes of pearl-effect jersey embroidered to recreate the creamy Guinness head.
As pints in the form of tote bags, and Claddagh rings in the form of hoops continue to be popular, has the online discourse underestimated just how much nostalgia and memory are attached to Irish iconography?
The history of the symbols, whether reinterpreted or not, still commands reverence and is fiercely defended. Combined with an ever-growing awareness of sustainability, the Claddagh hoop may just survive the fleeting nature of the micro-trend.
The Claddagh ring, pints, and Éire itself may be ‘having a moment’ but perhaps amidst an exciting new wave of Irish fashion, they are here to stay.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ.
