Only a few famous Claddagh stories hold up. Queen Victoria wore one made for her in 1849. Ronald Reagan was given a Claddagh gift in Galway in 1984, reportedly a gold ring. Walt Disney is said to have bought one in the late 1940s. Nicola Coughlan is the best documented star today. JFK’s ring is widely repeated but not documented.
Search for celebrities who wear Claddagh rings and you get the same list everywhere. The Kennedys, Disney, Aniston, the Kardashians, half of Hollywood.
This page used to carry a version of that list too. So every name has now been checked against museum records, presidential libraries and reliable papers.
Most of it fell apart. What’s left is a short list, and a better story.
Here’s my original short video on the Claddagh ring, though where it differs from this fact-checked page, go with the page.
A traditional gold Claddagh ring: two hands, a heart and a crown
Famous people with Claddagh rings at a glance
| Who | What | How solid? |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Victoria | Ring made for her in Waterford, 1849 | Solid (Britannica) |
| Ronald Reagan | Claddagh ring or brooch, Galway, 1984 | Solid (Britannica) |
| Grace Kelly | Claddagh ring or brooch, 1961 | Solid (Britannica) |
| Bill Clinton | Ring or brooch, state visit | Given, not proven worn |
| Walt Disney | Ring bought in Ireland, late 1940s | Likely, details disputed |
| Nicola Coughlan | Bespoke ring by Chupi, 2024 | Good (the jeweller’s own account) |
| John F. Kennedy | Rings said to be presented in Galway, 1963 | A jeweller’s claim only |
| Buffy and Angel | Birthday ring on TV, 1998 | Fictional |
Queen Victoria and the royals
Britannica says Queen Victoria wore a Claddagh ring made for her in 1849 in Waterford.
Thomas Dillon’s in Galway lists her among its clients. It also says the ring was later worn by Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII. There’s no independent source for that part.
US presidents and the White House
Ronald Reagan is the best documented. Britannica says he was presented with a Claddagh ring or brooch in Ireland.
That was his June 1984 trip, when Galway mayor Michael Leahy is said to have made the gift. The Reagan Library is reported to hold an 18ct gold ring engraved “President Reagan Galway 1984”.
Bill Clinton is trickier. Britannica says he got a Claddagh ring or brooch on a state visit. There’s no record of which, so I won’t say he wore one.
Did JFK get a Claddagh ring?
Everyone repeats that JFK and Jackie were given Claddagh rings in Galway in 1963. Half of that is definitely wrong. The Irish Examiner says Jackie didn’t travel because she was pregnant. His sisters Eunice and Jean went instead.
JFK was in Galway on 29 June 1963. Mayor Patrick D. Ryan gave him the Freedom of the City, and a presentation casket came with it.
Galway jewellers Fallers say they presented Claddagh rings during that stop. Maybe so. But nothing independent backs it up. For now it’s a jeweller’s story. Dillon’s also lists him as a customer, which isn’t the same thing.
Walt Disney and the Partners statue
Walt Disney is the name that comes up most. The story holds up. The details don’t.
D23, the official Disney fan club, says Disney artists went to Ireland in 1946 to research what became Darby O’Gill and the Little People. It says Walt visited himself in December 1948.
On one of those trips, Walt and his wife Lillian are said to have bought Claddagh rings. Attractions Magazine says 1946. Disney historian Jim Korkis says 1948, and that Walt wore it as well as his wedding ring. Call it the late 1940s.
Thomas Dillon’s in Galway lists Walt among its customers.
The statue is easier to check. Blaine Gibson’s Partners statue of Walt and Mickey was unveiled at Disneyland on 18 November 1993.
Copies followed in Florida, Tokyo, Paris and Burbank. Attractions Magazine says the ring on Walt’s right hand is his Irish Claddagh.
The Partners statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse at Magic Kingdom
You’ll read online that the statue wears it upside down. I can’t confirm that from a lump of bronze.
The ring on the statue’s outstretched right hand
Grace Kelly and other stars
Princess Grace and Prince Rainier made a state visit to Ireland in June 1961. Britannica says she was presented with a Claddagh ring or brooch.
Dillon’s history says a gold Claddagh brooch and cufflinks were presented to the couple in Monaco in 1962. That was during a visit by Our Lady’s Choral Society.
Among Irish stars today, the best documented is Galway’s own Nicola Coughlan. Irish jeweller Chupi says it designed her a bespoke Claddagh ring in 2024, around Bridgerton season 3. It has a 2ct lab-grown diamond heart.
Buffy and Angel: the fictional Claddagh
If you were born after the year 2000, you probably don’t know what I am talking about. Oh, the memories!
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 2, episode 13, “Surprise”, Angel gives Buffy a Claddagh ring for her 17th birthday. It aired on 19 January 1998 and was written by Marti Noxon.
Angel is a vampire with an Irish past, so the ring was a nod to his roots.
The names I couldn’t prove
These turn up on almost every other list. None of them stands up with a reliable source:
- Jennifer Aniston and Tate Donovan: only jeweller blogs, usually with “allegedly”.
- Jim Morrison and Patricia Kennealy: their 1970 handfasting is real. The Claddagh detail traces back to jeweller sites.
The same goes for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Julia Roberts, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sienna Miller, Colin Farrell, Bono, Paul Mescal, Saoirse Ronan and the Gallagher brothers. Dillon’s lists Churchill, Bing Crosby, John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara as customers, but buying isn’t wearing.
Some may well have worn one. I just won’t say so without proof.
How to wear a Claddagh ring
Jewellers give the usual three positions. Nobody knows for sure where the customs came from.
| How you wear it | What it says |
|---|---|
| Right hand, heart facing out | Not yet found love |
| Right hand, heart facing in | In a relationship |
| Left hand | Married |
Britannica adds a twist. On the left ring finger, heart out means engaged and heart in means married. It calls the rules a modern custom.
For the full story of the hands, heart and crown, see my Claddagh ring meaning guide.
A silver Claddagh ring worn today
Where real Claddagh rings are made
Galway is the ring’s home town. The oldest known ring dates to about 1700 and carries the mark of Richard Joyce, a Galway goldsmith. Galway City Museum bought it in 2020, and it’s on display there.
Legend says Joyce learned his trade as a captive of Barbary pirates. Galway City Museum calls the story largely unproven.
Ida Delamer, writing in the Irish Arts Review in 1996, found three more rings from about then. They’re by a goldsmith called Thomas Meade.
Today, Thomas Dillon’s on Quay Street says it was established in 1750 and calls itself the original maker. It has a small free museum in the shop. Fallers, also in Galway, says it has traded since 1879.
But good Claddagh rings are made all over Ireland.
Tips for buying a real one
Ireland has one assay office, in Dublin Castle. It was set up in 1637. Precious metal sold in Ireland must be hallmarked, however small.
An Irish hallmark has three compulsory marks:
- the maker’s or sponsor’s mark
- Hibernia, the mark of the Dublin Assay Office
- the fineness mark, such as 925 for sterling silver or 750 for 18ct gold
There’s no Galway hallmark today. Dillon’s says Richard Joyce stamped his work with an anchor and his initials.
- Look for a hallmark. Hibernia means the metal was tested in Dublin. It doesn’t prove the ring was made in Ireland, so ask the seller who made it.
- “Original” isn’t a hallmark. Dillon’s says it alone stamps “ORIGINAL” on its rings. It’s a brand mark, not a legal standard.
- Think about daily wear. Silver is soft, and the fine detail on the hands can wear down over years. Gold costs more but lasts better.
Claddagh ring FAQ
Did JFK get a Claddagh ring?
It’s widely repeated but not documented. Galway jewellers Fallers say they presented rings on 29 June 1963. Nothing independent confirms it, and Jackie wasn’t on the trip.
Which celebrities wear Claddagh rings today?
Nicola Coughlan is the best documented, with a bespoke ring by Irish jeweller Chupi. Most other modern names trace back to jeweller blogs.
Which hand do you wear a Claddagh ring on?
Right hand if you’re single or dating, left hand if you’re married. On the right hand, heart out means you’re single and heart in means you’re taken. Some wear it on the left hand heart out when engaged.
How can you tell a Claddagh ring is real?
Look for a hallmark. In Ireland that’s a maker’s mark, the Hibernia mark and a fineness number, or an approved international mark. The hallmark proves the metal, not where the ring was made.
More on Irish symbols and love
- The Claddagh Ring Meaning
- The Celtic Love Knot
- Celtic Symbols and Their Meanings
- 12 Irish Love Poems
- Irish Surnames and Their Meanings
- Facts About Ireland
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KEVIN Donovan
Sunday 5th of February 2023
WHEN you do get it (in Galway) Thomas Dillon's Jewlers Est. 1750 Original maker of the claddagh ring. ONLY.. THEY... can stamp (original) inside the BAND. To show it came from DILLION's 1 Quay st. Galway ,H91 cp22,Ireland.... HAVE a GRAND time LAD & lassies!!
terry doegan parson
Thursday 30th of December 2021
I have been wearing one (I have two) since 1980.
Irish Around The World
Friday 31st of December 2021
Wow, dedication!
Jarom Ellsworth
Monday 13th of December 2021
Catherine O'Hara wears one in the movie Home Alone. It’s at the very beginning when she is on the phone.
Irish Around The World
Thursday 16th of December 2021
Wow didn't know about that one! Well spotted
Janice Quinn
Sunday 26th of January 2020
My husband bought mine on our last trip together to Old Galway, 20002. I wear it daily in his memory.