This year St. Valentine’s Day falls on Tuesday, 14th February 2023.
Celebrate the love with these fun Irish facts!
💚 #HappyValentinesDay”
Claddagh Rings
Claddagh, in County Galway, is the birthplace to the Claddagh Ring – symbolizing love, loyalty and friendship, represented by the heart, the crown, and the hands.
Looking for love? It is worn on the right hand with the heart facing outward. For those married, it is worn on the left hand with the heart facing inwards.
It is the ultimate symbol of love everlasting.
Shrine of St. Valentine
In 1835, an Irish Carmelite, John Spratt was visiting Rome. He received many tokens of esteem, one was the remains of Saint Valentine. The remains arrived in Dublin and were brought in solemn procession to Whitefriar Street Church where they were received by Archbishop Murray of Dublin. Today, the Shrine is visited throughout the year by couples who come to pray to St. Valentine and to ask him to watch over them in their lives together.
Leap Day Proposals
Handfasting Ceremonies
People nowadays choose to exchange wedding rings during ceremonies. But in ancient Celtic traditions, there were several means of promising to love and honour your new spouse before you tie the knot.
Handfasting entailed the pair clasping hands and tying them together with a ribbon or rope. Handfasting tradition in Ireland is resurfacing and becoming more frequent in wedding ceremonies.
Irish Romantic Poets
Ireland has some of the most romantic poets in history – think W.B. Yeats, Oscar Wild and Seamus Heaney to name but a few…
One of our favourites is “When You are Old” by W.B. Yeats: