St. Brendan the Navigator: The Voyaging Monk of Ireland
Quick answer
St. Brendan (about 484–577) was an Irish monk and abbot who founded monasteries, most famously at Clonfert in County Galway. He traveled by sea to Scotland, Wales and perhaps Brittany. A beloved medieval tale, the Voyage of St. Brendan, describes his seven-year journey with fellow monks across the ocean to a "Promised Land of the Saints." He is the patron of sailors and travelers. His feast is May 16.
Key takeaways
- He was born in County Kerry and educated under St. Ita and St. Erc.
- He founded the monastery of Clonfert around 557.
- The Navigatio Sancti Brendani, written centuries later, made him famous across Europe.
- In 1976–77 Tim Severin sailed a leather boat from Ireland to Newfoundland to show such a voyage was possible.
The Irish monks of the early Middle Ages were great travelers for Christ. None is more famous than St. Brendan, whose legendary voyage was one of the most popular stories of medieval Europe.
Brendan’s Life
Brendan was born around 484 near Tralee, in County Kerry, in the southwest of Ireland. As a small child he was entrusted to St. Ita, a holy woman who ran a school for boys, and later studied under St. Erc and other teachers. He became a monk and priest.
Brendan founded several monasteries, the most important at Clonfert, in County Galway, around 557. Records say he traveled to the islands of Scotland, where he met St. Columba, and possibly to Wales and Brittany. He died around 577 and was buried at Clonfert.
The Voyage
Brendan is best known for the Navigatio Sancti Brendani, the “Voyage of St. Brendan the Abbot,” written two or three centuries after his death. It tells how Brendan and a group of monks built a boat of wood and ox hides and sailed west in search of the Promised Land of the Saints.
For seven years they journeyed from island to island, keeping the cycle of the Church’s feasts. They celebrated Easter on the back of a great whale, met a community of silent monks, and found an island of birds singing the psalms. At last they reached a land of light and fruit, then returned home to Ireland.
The story is a spiritual allegory of the Christian life as a pilgrimage, guided by prayer and the liturgy, toward heaven.
Could It Have Happened?
Some have wondered whether Irish monks reached North America long before Columbus. Irish hermits did reach the Faroe Islands and Iceland before the Vikings. In 1976–77 the explorer Tim Severin built a leather boat by traditional methods and sailed it from Ireland to Newfoundland, by way of the Hebrides, Faroes, Iceland and Greenland. That proves such a voyage was possible, though not that Brendan made it.
Patron of Travelers
Sailors, travelers and all who journey have long asked Brendan’s prayers. A prayer attributed to him in later tradition asks God to help him leave the shore behind and trust Him on the open sea.
A Prayer for Travelers (Original Prayer)
St. Brendan, you trusted God on the open sea. Watch over all who travel today, by land, sea or air. Help me make my life a pilgrimage toward heaven, and keep me safe until I reach home. Amen.
Continue Reading
Read about St. Columba, St. Brigid, or St. Christopher, patron of travelers.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of St. Brendan?
May 16.
Did St. Brendan discover America?
No one knows. The Voyage of St. Brendan is a religious tale with many legendary elements, such as celebrating Easter on the back of a whale. A modern crossing showed that such a journey could be made in a boat like his.
What is St. Brendan the patron saint of?
Sailors, boatmen, travelers and divers. He is also a patron of the diocese of Clonfert and of Kerry.
Sources
- Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (ninth or tenth century)
- Adomnán, Life of St. Columba, III.17
- Tim Severin, The Brendan Voyage (1978)
