Although Howard David Johnson is an American painter, he does some wonderful illustrations of Irish and Celtic legends. Below is a sample of his work. You can visit his gallery at http://www.howarddavidjohnson.com/celticmythology.htm

 

  The Sword of Nuada

   The Tuatha De' Da Nann were the children of Danu, and the Gaelic Celtic gods. Their enemies were the Fomorians, paralleling the Greek and Norse myths, with the Giants versus the Olympians and the Jotung against the Aesir. The greatest of these Celtic gods appears to have been Nuada, called Argetlam, or "he of silver hand", after the first battle of Moytura in which he lost a hand subsequently replaced by one of silver.

 Nuada was at once the Gaelic Zeus, or Jupiter, and their war god; for among primitive nations, to whom success in war is all-important, the god of battles is the supreme god. The name the Gauls gave him was identified with Mars and he was one of the most important gods of the Britons as well.

 He was possessed of an invincible sword, The Sword of Nuada; one of the four chief treasures of the Tuatha De' Da Nann, over whom, Nuada was twice king and the British Isles were no doubt conquered under his auspices. The Ancient Celts were madly fond of war and worshipped this god, who delighted in battle & slaughter with human sacrifice - the Latin poet Lucan tells us.