Aided Óenfir Aífe
Background information
The History of Ireland (Geoffrey Keating), Volume 2
pp. 217-219 The death of Conlach son of Cuchulainn, as follows. It was thus his death was brought about: Cuchulainn went to learn feats of valour to Scathach, a female champion that lived in Alba; and there was a fair lady in Scotland at that time called Aoife daughter of Airdgheim, who cherished a longing affection for Cuchulainn because of his great fame; and she came to visit him; and they had intercourse with one another, and she conceived a son. Now, when Cuchulainn proceeding to Ireland after having learned the feats of agility from Scathach, he paid a farewell visit to Aoife, and gave her an ornasc, that is, a chain of gold, and told her to keep it till her son should be fit for service; and when he would be fit for service, to send the chain with him to himself, as a sure token by which to know him; or, according to others, it was a gold ring, and he told her to send his son to visit him to Ireland as soon as he should be so strong that his finger would fill the ring. Furthermore he imposed three restrictions on the son before his coming to Ireland. The first restriction was that he should not give way to any hero or champion in the world; the second restriction that he should not give his name through fear to any warrior in the world; the third restriction that he should not refuse single combat to any man on earth, however strong. Now, when this youth grew up and waxed strong, and when he had learned exercises of valour and championship from Scathach, the instructress of champions, he set out for Ireland to visit Cuchulainn, his father; and when the youth reached land, Conchubhar and the nobles of Ulster were before him Tracht Eise; and Conchubhar sent a champion called Cuinnire to get an account of himself from him; and when he came into the youth’s presence, he asked his name. ‘I tell my name to no warrior on earth,’ said Conlaoch. Then Cuinnire went back to Conchubhar, and made known to him this answer. Thereupon Cuchulainn went to get an account from him, but received only the same answer from Conlaoch; and they engaged in a bloody encounter, and Conlaoch was overpowering Cuchulainn, great as had been his valour and strength in every battle up to that time, so that he was forced to go to the nearest ford and direct Laogh son of Rian Gabhra to get ready the ga bolg for him, which he sent through Conlaoch’s body; and it was thus he died.
p. 225 Chuchulainn happened to be on Beanna Boirche and he saw a large flock of black birds coming southwards from the surface of the ocean; and when they reached land he pursued them, and slew with his sling, by the exercise called taithbheim or ‘return-stroke’, a bird out of each country.
Related saga online: Tochmarc Emire (The Wooing of Emer)
Richard Irvine Best and Osborn Bergin (ed.), Lebor na hUidre: Book of the Dun Cow, (Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 1929; repr. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1992), pp. 307-319.
Digital Edition at Archive.org (pp. 307-319); Digital Edition at NLS.uk (pp. 307-319 (363-375)); Irish text at CELT
Kuno Meyer (ed. & tr.), The oldest version of Tochmarc Emire, Revue Celtique, 11, 1890, pp. 442-453.
Digital Edition at Archive.org (pp. 442-453); Irish text at CELT; English translation at Tech Screpta
(Cuchulind and Aiffe) Then she said she was pregnant. She also said that it was a son she would bear, and that the boy would come to Erin that day seven year. And he left a name for him. (See Section 1), p. 451
Kuno Meyer (ed.), Mitteilungen aus irischen Handschriften: IV. Tochmarc Emire la Coinculaind, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, 3, 1901, pp. 229–263.
Digital Edition at Archive.org (pp. 229-263); Digital edition at CDI (PDF) (pp. 229-263 (27-61)); Irish text at CELT
List of Cuchulaind’s feats includes ich n-errid (See Section 6), gai bulgai (See Section 11), bem fo commus (See Section 10) and taithbeim (See Section 2 and Section 7), §78, p. 255
Kuno Meyer (tr.), The Wooing of Emer, Archaeological Review, 1, 1888, pp. 68-75; 150-155; 231-235; 298-307.
Digital edition at Archive.org (pp. 68-75 (98-105)); (pp. 150-155); (pp. 231-235); (pp. 298-307)
English translation at CELT; English translation at Tech Screpta
Cuchulaind then tried three times to cross the bridge, and could not do it. The men jeered at him. Then he grew mad and jumped on the head of the bridge, and made the hero’s salmon leap (dobeir cor n-iach n-erred de) so that he got on its midst. (See Section 6), §68, p. 299
Cuchulaind and Scáthach, §§68-76, pp. 299-301
Cuchulaind then went with Aife and slept with her that night. Then Aife said she was with child, and that she would bear a boy. ‘I shall send him this day seven year to Erinn,’ said she, ‘and do thou leave a name for him,’ Cuchulaind left a golden finger-ring for him, and said to her that he should go and seek him in Erinn, when the ring would fit on his finger. And he said that Conla was the name to be given to him, and told her that he should not make himself known to anyone, that he should not go out or the way of any man, nor refuse combat to any man. (See Section 1), §76, pp. 301-302
A. G. van Hamel (ed.), Tochmarc Emire, in: Compert Con Culainn and other stories, (Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1933; repr. 1978), pp. 20-68.
Digital Edition at Archive.org (pp. 20-68); Glossary (pp. 134-233); Digital Edition at NLS.uk (pp. 20-68 (36-84))
Táin Bó Cúalnge from the Book of Leinster (O’Rahilly)
Irish text at CELT; English translation at CELT
Cú Chulainn and Conall Cernach (See Section 7), §4, pp. 165-166
‘The last chariot-fighter who was here a while ago, little Cú’ said Láeg. ‘What of him?’ said Cú Chulainn. ‘He turned his left board (a chlár clé) towards us as he made for the ford’. ‘That is Etarcumul, driver, seeking combat of me. (See Section 5 and Section 8), §9, p. 183
Cú Chulainn gave him an edge-blow (fáebarbéim co commus). He sheared his hair from him, from poll to forehead and from ear to ear as if it had been shaved with a keen, light razor. He drew not a drop of blood. (See Section 10), §9, p. 184
Cú Chulainn jumped from the ground to the top of the boss of Nath Crantail’s shield and dealt him a return blow (táthbéim) past the top of the shield and cut off his head from his trunk. (See Section 2 and Section 7), §10, p. 187
List of Cu Chulainn’s feats includes ích n-errid (See Section 6), gai bulgga (See Section 11), béim co fommus (See Section 10) and táthbéim (See Section 2 and Section 7), §14, p. 189
Cú Chulainn, Fer Diad and the ga bulga (See Section 11), §29, pp. 211-234
Cú Chulainn:
I have never met such as you until now,
since the only son of Aífe fell;
your peer in deeds of battle
I found not here, O Fer Diad. §29, p. 231
Cethern mac Fintain and Fintan (See Section 5), §§31-33, pp. 235-241
Amargin and Cú Rúi (See Section 5), §39, p. 244-245
Conchobhor and Sencha mac Ailella (See Section 5), §40, pp. 264-265
Related saga online: Serglige Con Culainn (The Sick-bed of Cuchulainn)
Eugene O’Curry (ed. & tr), The Sick-bed of Cuchulainn and the only jealousy of Emer, in: The Atlantis, 1, 1858, pp. 370-392; 2, 1859, pp. 98-124.
Digital Edition at Archive.org (pp. 370-392); Digital Edition at Archive.org (pp. 98-124); English translation at Tech Screpta; English translation at Archive.org (pp. 57-85 (95-123)); Irish text at Archive.org (pp. 197-234 (219-256)); Irish text at CELT
Fled Bricrend: the Feast of Bricriu (Henderson)
Cuchullain leapt the hero’s “salmon-leap” (Focheird Cucullain cor n-íach n-eirred de) (See Section 6), §87, p. 108-109
An Early Irish Reader (Chadwick)
Cúscraid Mend Macha and Cet mac Matach (See Section 5), p. 21 (33), §14
The placename Airrbe Rofhir, where Conla was buried
Paul Walsh, On a passage in Serglige Conculaind, Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie, 8, 1912, pp. 555-556.
Digital Edition at Archive.org (pp. 555-556)
The origin of the name is given in LL 122a24 ff (p. 452 in the CELT edition). Conal Cernach put his foot into the footprint of the dead Cuchulainn and said: ‘rop airrbe rofhir inso’, whereupon the druid answered: ‘bid ed ainm in tíri-seo co bráth Airrbe Rofhir’.
Lectures of the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History (O’Curry)
List of Historic Tales in the Book of Leinster includes:
Aided Blai Briugad (The Tragical Death of Bla Briugad) (See Section 5), p. 588 (624)
Aided Conaill (The Tragical Death of Conall) (See Section 5), p. 587 (623)
Aided Concobair (The Tragical Death of Conchobhar) (See Section 3), p. 588 (624)
Aided Conculainn ((The Tragical Death of Cuchulainn) (See Section 1), p. 587 (623)
Tochmarc nEimir (The Courtship of Emer) (See Section 8), p. 585 (621)
R = The Rennes Dindshenchas (Stokes), Revue Celtique, 15-16, 1894-1895
M = The Metrical Dindshenchas (Gwynn)
R: Lecht Óenfir Áife §95 (See Section 13), Part 3, pp. 46-47, (‘Lecht Óenfir Áife’)
Oenfer Aife ‘Aife’s Only-man’, a son of Cúchulainn’s, [sent by his mother from Scotland] came over sea to Baile’s Strand (Traigh mBaile) or to Littleford (Ath mBec) in Conailli Murthemni. There he met with his father, and his father asked him who he was. And he would not declare his name. He had completed (only) nine years. So father and son attacked each other, and the son fell. Then said the son, ‘ ’Tis hard that I should speak what is or what turns’. Then said Cúchulainn:
‘Aife’s only-man, though ’twas meet (for him)
to be hidden in his patrimony
during my time I shall be ever mindful
of my fight with Aife’s only-man’.
Thereafter Cúchulainn took him away and buried him at Oenach Airbi Rofhir, and sang his dirge. Hence Lecht Óenfir Áife ‘the Monument of Áife’s Only-Man’.
M: Lecht Óen-Fhir Aífe (See Section 13), Volume 4, pp. 133-135, p. 409
Cóir Anmann: Fitness of Names (Stokes), Irische Texte, Ser. III.2
Conall Cernach §§251-252 (See Section 5), pp. 393-395, p. 423
Cú Chulainn §266 (See Section 1), pp. 399-401, p. 423
Cuscraidh Mend Macha §279 (See Section 5), p. 405, p. 424
Forgall Monach §205 (See Section 8), p. 373, p. 420
Ulaid §245 (See Section 2), pp. 387-389, p. 422
Wikipedia
Yellow Book of Lecan
Ulster Cycle
Aided Óenfhir Aífe
Tochmarc Emire
Aífe
Amergin mac Eccit
Blaí Briugu
Cethern mac Fintain
Conall Cernach
Conchobar mac Nessa; Kings of Ulster
Connla
Cú Chulainn
Cúscraid Mend Macha; Kings of Ulster
Emer
Forgall Monach
Scáthach
Sencha mac Ailella
Clochafarmore
Dunscaith Castle
Gáe Bulg
Voices from the Dawn
Clochafarmore Standing Stone