Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by C ...

, Finnguala (modern spellings:

Fionnghuala Fionnghuala (reformed spelling: Fionnuala) is an Irish language female given name. Fionnghuala was a highly popular woman's name in medieval Ireland. It continues to be used, as well as in the forms Fionnuala and Nuala. The meaning of Fionnghuala ...

, Fionnuala , or Finola; literally meaning "white shoulder") was 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 ...

of the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu (Irish goddess), Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deity, ...

. In the legend of the ''

Children of Lir The ''Children of Lir'' ( ga, Oidheadh chloinne Lir) is a legend from Irish mythology. It is a tale from the post-Christianisation period that mixes magical elements such as druidic wands and spells with a Christian message of Christian faith ...

'', she was

changed Change or Changing may refer to: Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period * Metamorphosis, or change, ...

into a

swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

and cursed by her stepmother, Aoife, to wander the

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

s and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, with her brothers Fiachra, Conn and Aodh, for 900 years until saved by the marriage of Lairgren, son of Colman, son of Cobthach, and Deoch, daughter of Finghin, whose union broke the curse. 'The Song of Fionnuala', with lyrics by

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

Silent, O Moyle , Thomas Moore - N. Clifford Page
/ref> speaks of her wanderings. The name is anglicized as Fenella. The shortened version

Nuala Nuala ( , ) is an Irish female 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 Finvarra, king of the fa ...

is commonly used as a first name in contemporary Ireland.

People

People named Fionnuala *

Fionnuala Boyd Fionnuala Boyd (born 1944) is a British artist. Biography Fionnuala Boyd was in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire in 1944. She studied at the St Albans School of Art. Much of her work has been in collaboration with her husband, Les Evans. Her ...

Fionnuala Carr Fionnuala Carr is a camogie player from Clonduff, County Down, Northern Ireland. She is the winner of two Soaring Star awards in 2010 and 2011 and an Ashbourne All Star in 2011. She was on the Down team that contested the 2011 Kay Mills Cu ...

Fionnuala Ellwood Fionnuala Ellwood (born 3 July 1964 in Dublin, Ireland) is an actress best known for portraying Lynn Whiteley in the ITV soap ''Emmerdale'' between 1989 and 1994. Early life She attended Wilmslow County Grammar School for Girls. Career Other a ...

Fionnuala Kenny Fionnuala Bríd Kenny (; born 1 March 1956) is an Irish public relations specialist who is the wife of former Taoiseach Enda Kenny. She is a former press officer for the Fianna Fáil Party. In March 1987, Kenny became the first woman to head t ...

Fionnuala McCormack Fionnuala McCormack (née Britton; born 24 September 1984 in Wicklow) is an Irish runner who has competed at a range of distance running events. She was the gold medallist at the 2011 and 2012 European Cross Country Championships. She has repr ...

Fionnuala Ní Aoláin Fionnuala Ní Aoláin (; born 1967 in Galway) is an Irish academic lawyer specialising in human rights law. Career Ní Aoláin graduated from Queen's University, Belfast (LLB 1990, PhD 1998), and Columbia Law School (LLM 1996). She was a Vis ...

Fionnuala Ní Fhlatharta Fionnuala Ní Fhlatharta is an Irish actress. She is best known for her role as Bernie in the Irish language television drama ''Ros na Rún''. Biography Ní Fhlatharta has played the role of cafe owner Bernie Ní Neachtain Seoighe on ''Ros na R ...

Fionnuala Ní Flaithbheartaigh Fionnuala Ní Flaithbheartaigh () was an Gaelic–Irish Lady. Ní Flaithbheartaigh was married to Burke of Inverin, whose lands were inherited upon his death by his son, Walter Fada Burke. Ní Flaithbheartaigh conspired with her brother, Dom ...

Fionnuala Sherry Fionnuala Sherry (born 20 September 1962) is an Irish violinist and vocalist. Together with Norwegian musician Rolf Løvland, she makes up the Celtic-Nordic group Secret Garden, which won the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the predominantly ...

Fionnuala Sweeney Fionnuala Sweeney ( , ; born 1965) is an Irish anchorwoman and reporter. She had been based at CNN's headquarters in Atlanta, Sweeney was anchoring ''CNN Newsroom'' as well as serving as the primary substitute at the International Desk. She is k ...

People named Fionnula *

Fionnula Flanagan Fionnghuala Manon "Fionnula" Flanagan (born 10 December 1941) is an Irish stage, television, and film actress. For her contributions to the entertainment industry, she was given the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Flanagan is known fo ...

People named Finola *

Finola Dwyer Finola Dwyer (born 10 July 1963) is a UK-based New Zealand film producer and editor, best known for her films ''An Education'' and ''Brooklyn'', produced with frequent collaborator Amanda Posey. Career In 2015, Dwyer produced an historical dra ...

Finola Hughes Finola Hughes (born 29 October 1959) is an English actress, best known for her role as Anna Devane on the ABC soap operas ''General Hospital'' and ''All My Children'', and her portrayal of Laura in the 1983 film '' Staying Alive'', the sequel ...

Finola Moorhead Finola Moorhead (born 1947) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and reviewer. Her topics include women and writing, switching between reality and fiction, with themes of subversion and survival. Moorhead participates in the wome ...

Finola O'Donnell Finola O'Donnell (), also known as Nuala O'Donnell, was a 15th-century Irish noblewoman remembered for cofounding the Franciscan Monastery in Donegal. Finola was born to O’Brien (Conor-na-Srona) and later married to Hugh Roe O’Donnell, son of ...

Finola O'Farrell Dame Finola Mary Lucy O'Farrell DBE KC (born 15 December 1960), commonly called The Honourable Mrs Justice O'Farrell is a British high court judge and barrister. Early life Finola O'Farrell was educated at St Philomena's Catholic High School ...

References

Mythological cycle Shapeshifting Legendary birds Female legendary creatures {{Celt-myth-stub