Nuala ( , ) or Fionnuala is an Irish feminine given name, derived from

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

- being either a diminutive form of

Fionnuala In Irish mythology, Finnguala (modern spellings: Fionnghuala, Fionnuala , or Finola; literally meaning "white shoulder") was the daughter of Lir of the Tuatha Dé Danann. In the legend of the ''Children of Lir'', she was changed into a swan ...

("fair shoulder"), the daughter of

Lir Lir or Ler (meaning "Sea" in Old Irish; ''Ler'' and ''Lir'' are the nominative and genitive forms, respectively) is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity. He is na ...

, or an alternate name for Úna (perhaps meaning "lamb"), wife of Finvarra, king of the

fairies A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

. In modern Irish storytelling, Nuala means "born of the sea". People of this name include:

People

* St Nuala, Irish Saint * Nuala Ahern (born 1949), Irish politician * Nuala Archer (born 1955), Irish American poet * Nuala Butler, Irish judge * Nuala Carey, Irish weather presenter * Nuala Considine (1927–2018), Irish crossword compiler * Nuala Creed (born 1954), Irish sculptor * Nuala Fennell (1935–2009), Irish economist and politician * Nuala Gregory, Irish-New Zealand artist and academic * Nuala Hafner (born 1976), Australian media personality * Nuala Helsby, professor of molecular medicine and pathology *

Nuala Holloway Nuala Holloway (formerly known as Nuala Holloway-Casey)
Sunday Independe ...

, Irish artist, model and actress * Nuala Kennedy (born 1977), Irish musician * Nuala McAllister, Northern Irish politician *

Nuala McGovern Nuala McGovern is an Irish journalist and broadcaster working for BBC News. McGovern was the main presenter of '' Outside Source'' on the BBC World Service from 2014 to 2022. She presents Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4 from Monday to Wednesday. ...

, Irish journalist, working for

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

* Nuala McKeever, Northern Irish comic actress * Nuala Ní Chonchúir (born 1970), Irish writer and poet * Nuala Ní Conchobair (died 1226), Queen of Ulaid * Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill (born 1952), Irish poet * Nuala O'Donnell, 17th century Irish figure who took part in the Flight of the Earls * Nuala O'Faolain (1940–2008), Irish journalist and author *

Nuala O'Loan Nuala Patricia O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan, (born 20 December 1951), is a public figure in Northern Ireland. From 1999 to 2007, she was the first Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. In July 2009, it was announced that she was to be appointed t ...

DBE, Northern Irish public figure * Nuala Quinn-Barton Irish model, artist and film producer * Nuala Woulfe, Irish writer

Characters

* Nuala Anne McGrail, the title character of the mystery novel series of the same name created by Andrew M. Greeley * Nuala, a character in the comic book series, ''The Sandman'' *Princess Nuala, a character in the film '' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' *Nuala Magee, a character in the novel '' Touch Me'' by James Moloney *Nuala, a character in

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian novelist, poet, literary critic, and an inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of nonfiction, nine collections of short fiction, eight chi ...

's novel ''

The Year of the Flood ''The Year of the Flood'' is a novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, the second book of her dystopian trilogy, released on September 22, 2009, in Canada and the United States, and on September 7, 2009, in the United Kingdom. The novel was ...

'' *Nuala, twin to Cerridwen in the series ''

A Court of Thorns and Roses ''A Court of Thorns and Roses'' is a fantasy romance series by American author Sarah J. Maas, which follows the journey of 19-year-old Feyre Archeron after she is brought into the faerie lands of Prythian. The first book of the series, ''A Court ...

'' by Sarah J Maas *Nuala the Selkie, a character in the film '' The Secret of Roan Inish'' *Nuala “Nunu” Carney, a character in '' The Ferryman'', a play by Jez Butterworth *Nuala, a character in ''The Missing Sister'', a book by

Lucinda Riley Lucinda Kate Riley (; 16 February 1965 – 11 June 2021) was a Northern Irish author of popular historical fiction, formerly an actress and ballet dancer. Biography Lucinda Edmonds was born in Lisburn and spent the first few years of her life i ...

*Nuala Windsor, a character in the film ''

Eyes Wide Shut ''Eyes Wide Shut'' is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It is based on the 1926 novella '' Dream Story'' () by Arthur Schnitzler, transferring the story's setting from earl ...

'' *Nuala, Nuala, and Nuala, fictional members of the band The Nualas

References

{{given name Irish-language feminine given names Feminine given names

People

Characters

See also

References