<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/8c9509a8-c40f-4148-82c0-fa6fee1ec107/FC7DF76A-0708-4183-96D7-D8EAC0C709BB/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claddagh_ring&oldid=173417934" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claddagh_ring&oldid=173417934" style="font-size: 11px;">en.wikipedia.org</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claddagh_ring&oldid=173417934"><H1 class="firstHeading">Claddagh ring</H1></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claddagh_ring&oldid=173417934"><div align="center"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/en.wikipedia.org/img/8E18DAB4-4870-4D7F-ACB1-98CF73F72BB8" alt="Claddagh ring" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claddagh_ring&oldid=173417934"><P>The <B>Claddagh ring</B> is a <A title="Traditional" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional" linkindex="16">traditional</A> Irish ring, given in <A title="Friendship ring" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship_ring" linkindex="17" set="yes">friendship</A> or worn as a <A title="Wedding ring" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_ring" linkindex="18">wedding ring</A>. The design and customs associated with it originated in the <A title="Ireland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland" linkindex="19">Irish</A> fishing village of <A title="Claddagh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claddagh" linkindex="20" set="yes">Claddagh</A>, located just outside the old walls of the city of <A title="Galway" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway" linkindex="21">Galway</A>. The ring was first produced in the 17th century during the reign of Queen <A title="Mary II of England" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_II_of_England" linkindex="22">Mary II</A>, though elements of the design are much older.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claddagh_ring&oldid=173417934"><P>The Claddagh's distinctive design features two <A title="Hand" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand" linkindex="31">hands</A> clasping a <A title="Heart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart" linkindex="32" set="yes">heart</A>, and usually surmounted by a <A title="Crown (headgear)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_%28headgear%29" linkindex="33">crown</A>. The elements of this symbol are often said to correspond to the qualities of <A title="Love" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love" linkindex="34">love</A> (the heart), <A title="Friendship" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship" linkindex="35" set="yes">friendship</A> (the hands), and <A title="Loyalty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty" linkindex="36">loyalty</A> (the crown). The expression which was associated with these symbols in the giving of the ring was: "Let love and friendship reign."</P></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/FC7DF76A-0708-4183-96D7-D8EAC0C709BB/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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