CLADDAGH HISTORY
Richard Ioyes, a Galway
native, was captured by Algerian pirates while on a voyage to the
West Indies. He was sold as a slave to a Moorish goldsmith who
trained him in the art of metalworking. Released sometime around 1690
at the behest of the King of England, Ioyes returned to Galway where
he created the Claddagh ring. Earliest examples of the ring date back
to the 1700's and are stamped with the initials RI.
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