This article is from page 30 of the 2008-03-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 30 JPG
IT’S a well-known saying but now one Ennis man has found a way for married couples to physically tie the knot.
Sean O’Shaughnessy designed the Ennis wedding knot and is hoping that his idea will become part of wedding tradition.
The design is made up of a centre knot known as a true lover’s knot or cross knot or the shamrock knot.
This is encircled by a ring of twelve knots known as knots of faithful love and eternal friendship.
The last knot is made up of two
half-knots which, when the cords are pulled, unite to complete the circle.
Sean, a crafts enthusiast, had the idea after he went to the wedding of ARU(ONCe
“I got to thinking about the ceremo- ny and I suppose the whole thing of tying the knot and I though it would be nice for couples to have a way of physically tying the knot. It could be part of the wedding ceremony. It could be used to mark wedding anni- versaries. It’s quite a romantic thing and people see the knot in different FA
There has already been interest in Sean’s design from couples in Clare,
Mayo and Galway.
The knot is assembled and hand designed by Sean at his home in To- bartascain, Ennis. The knot itself is placed within a wooden frame. Some couples are looking for customised designs, with one Galway couple asking for the knot to be designed in the colours of their local GAA club.
‘There has been a good response. Everybody I have talked to about it so far has been impressed with it. We’ve got about 12 sold already and I’ve had people from Mayo and Gal- way asking about it. At the moment, there are only a few types and de- signs, but we are going to have cus-
tomised designs. Some people are looking for diamonds, or to have a silver case. I’ve had one couple who heard about it, and want it done in their club’s colours.”
Sean hopes that his design will, over time, develop a similar reputa- tion to the world-famous Claddagh Ring. “It would be great if it became as well known as the Claddagh ring in the future. It would be a great thing for Ennis. It’s been popular so far, so hopefully that will continue.”