As is right, proper and tradition in the scribal community I started out my first assignment with a backlog scroll.
| Backlog # | Recipient | Award | Award Date | Event | Royals | AS Year |
| BL-0145 | Aiofe bean Conall meic Bradaigh | AoA | 20-Sep-2008 | Lakewood Renaissance Fair | Konrad & Brenwen | 43 |
The write up was ‘sparse’.
Need AoA text for what looks like an Irish persona (undetermined time period). No EK wiki page or local group information. Recipient's name is Aiofe bean Conall meic Bradaigh (assuming recipient is female based on the name).
Always up for a challenge I started to see if I could find the person online. After not finding any likely links on social media, the name in the EK OP records or the SCA heralds arms and names registration database(OandA) I expected the person likely changed their name or wasn’t that active.
Stepping back I took at looked at what I knew, and that was the interesting name that holds a lot meaning. Starting with Aiofe
https://www.libraryireland.com/Names.php#girls
I can work with that. Turning towards the next part of the name “bean Conall” bean could have meant wife but also in some cases lady of for example. Going with that I went with lady (or scion) of Conall. Turning to the last part of the name “meic Bradaigh” This is certainly seems like a patronymic (I.e. derived from a person’s father’s first name). Meic from my research was often son of so likely this would have been suggested as Mhic (daughter of) if the name is registered. But no matter, still is a nice form for daughter of Braidaigh(Brady).
I often try to personalize scroll texts to the recipient, while keeping withing style, so someone who is pleasent and the scion of a Irish king (Conall) would certainly help people. Looking at earlier period Irish stories I stumbled on the lovely “Uath Beinne Etair” Hiding of the Hill of Howth and especially the stanza’s the old woman sings agreeing to lure Diarmaid to Finn. This is what I came up with.
Cold, cold! Cold to-night is broad Moylurg, higher the snow than the mountain-range,
The deer cannot get at their food. Cold till Doom! The storm has spread over all:
Horses cannot get over the ford of Ross, no more can two feet get there.
Not a town there is in the land, not a bell is heard, no crane talks.
The wolves of Cuan-wood get neither rest nor sleep in their lair.
Into this plight comes one who opens hearth and home to all, Aiofe bean Conall meic Bradaigh.
Konrad and Brenwen, Fair King and Queen, having seen the works of this scion of Conall in feeding and clothing the populace see fit to make her a Lady of the court and award her arms.
Done this day, September 20th 2008, in the Barony of Carillion.
