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 Una is a feminine given name with various origins. As used by Edmund Spenser in ''The Faerie Queene'', the name is derived from the Latin ''unus'', meaning ''one''. The Filipino word "una" meaning "first" (e.g., in Tagalog and Cebuano) is also d ...

(perhaps meaning "lamb"), wife of

Finvarra Finvarra, also called Finvara, Finn Bheara, Finbeara or Fionnbharr, is the king of the Daoine Sidhe of western Ireland in Irish folklore. In some legends, he is also the ruler of the dead. Finvarra is a benevolent figure, associated with horses, ...

, 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 Nuala Butler is an Irish judge who has served as a Judge of the Court of Appeal since October 2022. She previously served as a Judge of the High Court from 2020 to 2022. Early life Butler was educated at Mount Anville Secondary School, foll ...

, Irish judge * Nuala Carey, Irish weather presenter *

Nuala Considine Nuala Considine (10 October 1927 – 24 July 2018) was an Irish woman considered to be the world's most prolific crossword compiler. She produced crossword puzzles for newspapers and magazines across Europe and the United States, including The I ...

(1927–2018), Irish crossword compiler * Nuala Creed (born 1954), Irish sculptor *

Nuala Fennell Nuala Fennell (; 25 November 1935 – 11 August 2009) was an Irish Fine Gael politician and feminist activist. In the 1970s, Fennell became a significant figure in Ireland's women's movement, co-founding various organisations advocating for women ...

(1935–2009), Irish economist and politician *

Nuala Gregory Nuala A. Gregory is an Irish–New Zealand artist and academic, and is a full professor at the University of Auckland, and Dean of the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries. Gregory works mainly in acrylics and collage. Early life and educati ...

, Irish-New Zealand artist and academic *

Nuala Hafner Nuala Hafner is an Australian media personality of Ghanaian descent, best known as a newsreader, TV host/presenter, weather presenter and journalist. She is also a psychologist. Early life and education Hafner was born in London, England, to G ...

(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 Nuala Kennedy (born 30 January 1977) is an Irish composer, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Career She grew up in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland, where she played piano and flute in a local ceili band and studied classical piano a ...

(born 1977), Irish musician *

Nuala McAllister Nuala McAllister is a Northern Irish politician (b. 1990) who is an Alliance Party Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). She was elected as an MLA in the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election for Belfast North. Early life 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 Nuala McKeever (born 1964) is an actress from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Early life and education McKeever grew up in the west of the city and graduated from Queen's University Belfast with a degree in languages. Career After graduating from ...

, Northern Irish comic actress *

Nuala Ní Chonchúir Nuala Ní Chonchúir (born 14 January 1970) is an Irish writer and poet. Biography Born in Dublin in 1970, Nuala Ní Chonchúir is a full-time fiction writer and poet, is living in County Galway. She holds a BA in Irish from Trinity College D ...

(born 1970), Irish writer and poet *

Nuala Ní Conchobair Nuala Ní Conchobair (died 1226) was Queen of Ulaid. Ní Conchobair was a daughter of King Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair (c.1116-1198) and a wife of King Ruaidrí Mac Duinn Sléibe of Ulaidh (died 1201). After the fall of the kingdom to John de Co ...

(died 1226), Queen of Ulaid *

Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill (; born 1952) is a modern Irish poet whose works have been described as having a "major influence in revitalizing the Irish language in modern poetry". Biography Born in Lancashire, England, of Irish parents, she moved t ...

(born 1952), Irish poet *

Nuala O'Donnell Nuala O'Donnell ( Irish: ''Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill''; – ) was an Irish noblewoman of the O'Donnell dynasty who took part in the Flight of the Earls. She was known as "the Lady of the Piercing Wail". After the death of her sibling Rory, 1st Ea ...

, 17th century Irish figure who took part in the Flight of the Earls *

Nuala O'Faolain Nuala O'Faolain (; 1 March 1940 – 9 May 2008) was an Irish journalist, television producer, book reviewer, teacher and writer. She became well known after the publication of her memoirs ''Are You Somebody?'' and ''Almost There''. She wrote a bi ...

(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 Nuala ( , ) or Fionnuala is an Irish feminine given name, derived from Irish mythology - being either a diminutive form of Fionnuala ("fair shoulder"), the daughter of Lir, or an alternate name for Úna (perhaps meaning "lamb"), wife of Finvar ...

, 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 ''The Secret of Roan Inish'' is a 1994 independent fantasy-adventure film written and directed by John Sayles. It is based on the 1957 novel ''Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry'', by Rosalie K. Fry. It is centered on the Irish and Orcadian folklor ...

'' *Nuala “Nunu” Carney, a character in '' The Ferryman'', a play by

Jez Butterworth Jeremy Butterworth (born March 4, 1969) is a British playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He has gained recognition for his unique voice in contemporary theater, often blending themes of myth, folklore, and realism. He has received a T ...

*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