On this Day… 23 June

By Ian Brophy

On this day, 23 June, St. John’s Eve; the fishermen of the Claddagh village elected their ‘King’ each year. The Claddagh people would celebrate the election of their ‘King’ by parading through the town preceded by men carrying bundles of reeds tied to the ends of poles which they set fire to at night. The young and old assemble at the head of the village; and the ‘King’ adjusts the rank, order and precedence of the procession. They then set out, headed by a music band, and march loudly and joyfully with crowds of people through the streets and suburbs. In the course of the celebratory parade, the men stop with loud cheerings and salutations opposite the homes of the principal inhabitants, from whom they generally receive money on this special occasion.

Upon returning to their village, they assemble in groups around the bonfires, dancing around the fires and sometimes jumping over and through the bonfires; never forgetting to bring home part of the fire, which is considered sacred.
The Claddagh was a fishing village, dating to at least the time of St. Enda in the 5th century. By the mid-1800’s, the Claddagh had become a populous area, numbering between 5 and 6,000 persons. Over time, these fishermen had laid claim to the right to exercise complete and exclusive control over the neighbouring bay, and over all the bays of the county.

The ‘King’ is a misnomer. In fact, they elected one of their own who regulated their community according to their own laws and customs; and settled any fishing disputes. This person would have been referred to as the Admiral when at sea, or the Mayor when on dry land.
In the 1840’s, a Mr. & Mrs. Hall published a book on their travels ‘Ireland: It’s Scenery, Character, &c.’ Referring to their travels in the Claddagh; ‘this singular community are still governed by a king, elected annually – at one time this king was absolute – as powerful as a veritable despot but his power yielded like all despotic powers so now he was more like the Lord Mayor of Dublin’.

This book was very popular and so the idea of a ‘King’ of the Claddagh became commonly accepted. Another belief is that back in the old days, there was a man by the name of Owen King fishing out of the Claddagh; and he was the best man with the nets and the boats; and for working or racing the boats. When the Hall’s heard and wrote about (Owen) King of the Claddagh; they thought it was a real king that was in it.

Mary Banim described the duties of the ‘King’ in 1892; ‘In former days, the King or Mayor was elected with great pomp and ceremony. He was chosen because of his intelligence and wisdom. His duty was to guide the fleet safely at sea,and understand the laws of the bay and see them enforced. While on land he was the lawgiver for the entire colony, none of whom ever dreamt of going into a land-shark’s law court, but abided rigidly by every decision of their own chief.’
This ‘King’ regulated the days on which the fleet sailed; chose the fishing grounds and gave the orders for the men to cast their nets.

The King was in no way different to the other villagers; he was completely one of themselves; his rank and station being only indicated by a white sail and colours flying from the mast-head of his boat.

The Kings of the Claddagh were as follows;

1830’s: Dennis King.
1846: Bartley Hynes, Bartley died from cholera during the
Famine, 1849.
1849: Owen Jones. Deceased 1853.
1853: Rev. Fr. Folan. A Dominican priest, ‘ who made valiant
efforts to advance the interests of Claddagh fishermen’.
Deceased 1887.
1887: Padge King. There appears to have been a break in the
tradition of electing a ‘King’ for many years.
1950’s: Owen Concannon. Deceased 1954. The tradition appears
to have ceased again, until it was revived as an honorary or
ceremonial role.
1961: Martin Oliver. Deceased 1972.
1973 – 1989: Patrick Ladneen Curran. Deceased 1993.
1998: Mike Lynskey. The current ‘King of the Claddagh’ continues to carry the flag, showcasing the unique traditions and customs of the unique Claddagh people.

On this day, 23 June, St. John’s Eve; the fishermen of the Claddagh village elected their ‘King’ each year.