Brendan the Navigator, Early Irish Transatlantic Voyager, Died

Saint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert (c. 484 – c. 578) called the Navigator or the Voyager, is one of the early Irish monastic saints whose legends have overshadowed their history. He is chiefly renowned for his semi-legendary quest to the Land of Delight. His feast day is May 16.

St Brendan is chiefly renowned for this legendary quest. According to the ninth century Voyage of St Brendan the Navigator, he set out onto the Atlantic Ocean with sixty pilgrims, searching for the Garden of Eden. If it happened, this would have occurred in around 530, before his travel to the island of Britain. On his trip, Brendan is supposed to have seen a blessed island covered with vegetation; convinced that he had seen Paradise, he returned to Ireland. He also encountered a sea monster, an adventure he shared with his contemporary St Columba. It is not impossible that Brendan may have encountered North America on his journey, in which case Brendan was one of the first European visitors to the New World. Christopher Columbus relied on the legends told of St Brendan as part of his argument that it was indeed possible to travel to Asia by crossing the Atlantic. Some propose St Brendan as one of the ancient visitors to the Americas. There appear to be similarities with The Voyage of Bran written much earlier.