Press Info - Claddagh Irish Music ~ Granby, Colorado

Press
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What people are saying about Claddagh:

"(Claddagh) really knows how to lay down down jigs and reels. I saw this band in Grand Lake - seven musicians doled out frothy doses of Irish and Scottish merriment; this band is ideal for family fun." - Tonya Bina, Winter Park Manifest

"Hi energy . . . great stuff . . . really fantastic!" - Cindy Reich, KRFC-FM, Fort Collins

"This sure beats rock and roll!" - Anonymous fan at Beaver Creek

"One of the best in Celtic music." - Donn Kraemer, Lakewood, Colorado

"Our guests truly enjoyed the music of Claddagh, with many clapping and dancing throughout the show." - Stephanie Carey, SolVista Basin Resort

"This exciting Irish band is highly entertaining and a real crowd pleaser." - Chris Moore, Fontenot's Voodoo Lounge

"Half of the fun of traditional Irish music is the looming sense that in the middle of any song, a fight could break out." - Greg Yolen, Yale Daily News

These are some of the venues Claddagh has played:

     Colorado Irish Festival                                              Swallow Hill, Daniels Hall, Denver
     D-Note, Arvada                                                       Sol Vista Basin Ski Resort, Granby
     Old Louisville Inn                                                     YMCA of the Rockies, Tabernash
     Fontenot's Voodoo Lounge, Winter Park                    KGNU-FM "Kaberet"
     Denver Center for the Performing Arts                       Beaver Creek Resort
     C Lazy U Ranch, Granby                                           Fraser Visitor Center
     Caroline's Cuisine, Grand Lake                                  Winter Park Concert in the Park
     Fraser Concert in the Park                                        United Center, Idaho Springs
     KRFC-FM "Live at Lunch"                                         Grand Lake Community Center

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The Claddagh Legend

What is a Claddagh (pronounced CLAHD-duh) and where does it come from? The Claddagh that we know today is a symbol (see upper left corner of this page) that originated in the fishing village of Claddagh in Galway Bay. "Claddagh" is from old Gaelic meaning "flat, stony shore." Legend claims Claddagh is the oldest fishing village in Ireland. In the old days, the Claddagh design identified the village on the sails of their ships. Today we most often associate the Claddagh with jewelry. The adaptation of the Claddagh to jewelry is generally attributed to Richard Joyce, a native of Galway, who while being transported as a slave to the plantations of the West Indies was captured by Mediterranean pirates and sold to a Moorish goldsmith who trained him in the craft. In 1689 he was released and returned to Galway and set up his shop in Claddagh. By tradition the symbol is to signify the wish that love and friendship should reign supreme. The hands signify friendship, the crown is loyalty, and the heart is love. We most often see the Claddagh today on a ring which has become quite popular outside Connamera since the middle of the nineteenth century. Its spread was assisted by the vast exodus from the west during the Great Famine of 1847-1849. Claddagh rings were kept as heirlooms with great pride and passed from mother to daughter. Today the ring is worn extensively across Ireland, either on the right hand turned outward showing the wearer is fancy free, or with the heart turned inward indicating she is spoken for. The place of pride, though, is on the left hand with the heart turned in indicating the lady is happily married.

This page last updated 03/01/2010.