Right in the middle of this important era in Irish history is the curious story of Brendan the Navigator. Born into a common family of fishermen on the Atlantic coast of Munster, he was baptized by Saint Erc, and as a boy studied under “the Brigid of Munster”, Saint Ita. He continued his ecclesiastical studies at Clonard Abbey under Finnian, and is considered one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.

Brendan founded several monasteries, beginning in the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. He traveled widely- a rare accomplishment for the time- traveling to Wales, Brittany, and Scotland. He is said to have visited Columba, Abbot of Iona, during his travels though the Scottish islands. He also founded monasteries in Ardfert and Shanakeel, both on the west coast of Ireland.

It was at Shanakeel that Brendan was inspired by the tale of an old monk. The monk described the Isle of the Blessed, a sort of promised land for true believers, located far out into the Atlantic Ocean, well beyond the western horizon. Brendan decided to set out on an expedition to find the island. The story is told in the Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot; the oldest surviving manuscript dates to the late 9^th century. Interestingly, there are many similarities between Brendan’s story and the Voyage of Máel Dúin, the story of a Celtic hero named Bran.

Brendan had a large currach built- a boat made with a frame of woven wood slats, tied together with leather straps, and covered with ox hides tanned in oak bark. Tar was used to seal the joints where the hides were sewn together, and the entire hull was covered with grease. He set out with 14 monks as companions; their adventures would take seven years to complete. The story tells of “great crystal pillars”- perhaps icebergs? And “great demons threw down lumps of fiery slag from an island with rivers of gold fire.” Could this be the volcanoes of Iceland? They find an island that is the “paradise of birds”- certainly a fitting description for many small islands in the North Atlantic. After traveling through a dense fog bank, they reached a broad land covered in grape vines, where they stayed for 40 days. Could this be the place that the Vikings would later call Vineland? Some are certain that Brendan and his monks were the first Europeans to discover America.

Currachs sound like terribly fragile boats, but are actually quite sturdy, admirably flexible, and suitable for sea voyages. In 1976 Tim Severin set out to prove it: he sailed a faithful reproduction of a currach that Brendan would have built, successfully reaching Newfoundland the following year. Overwintering in Iceland, they found that the boat was in excellent shape, and even the grease had not worn off the hull. In the Labrador Sea they were holed by an iceberg, but they managed to sew a leather patch over the hole, and complete their journey! The story is told in The Brendan Voyage, both a book and a documentary video of the same name.

But perhaps the adventures of Brendan should be seen simply as a story of salvation, of monastic obedience, and of the great faith necessary to undertake such a journey. His story was tremendously popular in Medieval Europe, bringing wonder and inspiration to many. He is remembered in Ireland as the founder of many churches and monasteries, but he is known to the world as The Navigator.

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