Nuada

Nuada has been chosen as the company name used by Mr McKeown as it a has strong association with orthopaedic surgery (especially upper limb surgery) in Celtic Folklore.

In Irish mythology, Nuada was a son of the great goddess Danu. He was the first king of the Tuatha De Danann, an ancient race who populated Ireland.

Nuada lost his right arm in combat and had to abdicate his throne as he was no longer eligible for kingship due to the Tuatha Dé tradition that their king must be physically perfect.

Over seven years, his brother Dian Cecht, Celtic god of healing, fashioned a silver arm, richly decorated with sacred runes, and with movement in every finger. It was fitted to Nuada’s shoulder and he was reinstated in the Sovereignty. Later, Dian Cecht's son, Miach, created a new arm of flesh and blood. Nuada ruled for twenty more years.

Nuada owned a great sword, that was one of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann, brought from one of their four great cities. He was given a sword forged by the druid Uscias in the island of Findias.

This sword, known as the Sword of Light. A bronze sword in the National Museum in Dublin claims to be
this sword.

In Armagh Cathedral there is a Bronze Age stone carving of Nuada, called the “Tandragee Man”

Emblem

Mr McKeown wished to create an orthopaedic emblem that would encompass the ancient art of medicine, the modern art of orthopaedic surgery and the mythological Nuada.

Ancient Medicine

In Greek mythology, Asclepius, son of Apollo was the Greek god of medicine. The Rod of Asclepius is an ancient symbol associated with medicine and healing. It consists of a serpent entwined around a staff.

To this day the symbol of staff and snake is used by many medical organisations.

Modern Othopaedics

In 1741 Nicholas Andry, a Parisian paediatrician, published a book entitled Orthopaedia. He described a method for correcting and preventing deformity in children and likened it to “making straight the crooked trunk of a young tree.”
The concept of a crooked sapling attached to an upright stake by strong rope is now an international symbol for orthopaedics. It is known as the Tree of Andry.

Nuada
Nuada is symbolised by “The Sword of Light”, one of the four Hallows belonging to the Tuatha De Danaan. Mr McKeown has merged the symbolic Rod of Asclepius, Tree of Andry and the Sword of Nuada to represent Celtic Orthopaedic Surgery.

St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland , therefore a crooked sapling rather than a snake entwines not a Greek staff but the Celtic Sword of Nuada.