St. Brendan,The Navigator
Brendan was born about 484 A.D. near Tralee in
County Kerry. He was ordained by Bishop Erc and sailed around northwest
Europe spreading the Christian faith and founding monasteries — the largest
at Clonfert, County Galway. Legend says that the community had at least three
thousand monks — their rule dictated to Brendan by an angel. He died at the
age of 93 and he was buried at the monastery in 577 A.D.
Brendan and his brothers figure prominently in Brendan's Voyage, a tale of
monks traveling the high seas of the
Atlantic, evangelizing to the islands, and possibly reaching the Americas in
the 6th century. At one point they stop on a small island, celebrate Easter
Mass, light a fire - and then discover the island is an enormous whale!
Maps of Columbus’ time often included an island called St. Brendan’s Isle
that was placed in the western Atlantic ocean. Map makers of the time had no
idea of its exact position but did believe it existed some where west of
Europe. It was mentioned in a Latin text dating from the ninth century called
Navigatio Santi Brendani Abatis (Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot). It described the voyage as
having taken place in the sixth century. Several copies of this text have survived in monasteries throughout Europe. It was an important part of folklore in
medieval Europe and may have influenced Columbus The account of
Brendan’s voyage contained a detailed description of the
construction of his boat which was not unlike
the currachs still made in Ireland today.
More conclusive evidence of Irish exploration of
North America has come to light in West Virginia. There, stone carvings have
been discovered that have been dated between 500 and 1000 A.D. Analysis by
archaeologist Dr. Robert Pyle and a leading language expert Dr.
Barry Fell, indicate that they are written
in Old Irish using the Ogham alphabet. The West Virginia Ogham texts are the
oldest Ogham inscriptions from anywhere in the world. They exhibit the
grammar and vocabulary of Old Irish in a manner previously unknown in such
early rock-cut inscriptions in any Celtic language. It seems possible that the scribes
that cut the West Virginia inscriptions may have been Irish missionaries in
the wake of Brendan’s voyage, for these inscriptions are Christian. The early
Christian symbols of piety, such as the various Chi-Rho monograms (Name of
Christ) and the Dextra Dei (Right Hand of God) appear at the sites, together
with the Ogham texts. The lack of any
written account of this exploration could be explained by the explorers not
being able to return to their homeland. If they indeed did reach what is now
West Virginia, it would be
extremely doubtful that they could manage to return to Ireland
from an embarkation point that far south.
Perhaps we'll never know for certain whether or
not Brendan's voyage was a medieval fantasy or that he was indeed, among the
first to discover the New World. The evidence would indicate that a fantastic
voyage across the Atlantic did take place and the stone carvings
in West Virginia certainly prove the
presence of Irish Christians at just about the right time in
history. Whatever you believe, it's a fascinating chapter in Irish folklore and one that should be passed down until such
time that the truth can be
determined.
St. Brendan's Feast Day is May 16th.
He is the patron saint of boatmen, mariners,
sailors, travelers, and whales.