May 2025 historian’s report as filed by Johnny McLaughlin:

Saint Brendan, also known as Brendan of Clonfert, Brendan the Voyager, Brendan the
Anchorite and Brendan the Bold, is one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.

He is most famously known for his legendary voyage to the Isle of the Blessed, also known as St. Brendan’s Island.
The tale of his voyage is told in the Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis, or the Voyage of Saint
Brendan the Abbot.
As with many early Irish saints, the details about Brendan’s life are found in old
hagiographies, martyrologies, and other medieval scripts. We find the earliest mentions of
him in Vita Sancti Columbae, or Life of Saint Columba (Columcille), written nearly a century after
Brendan’s death. The first mention of him being a seafarer is found in the Martyrology of
Tallaght, written in the ninth century. More details of his life come from the Vita Brendani, or Life
of Brendan, and the aforementioned Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot. These are believed to
have been written in the ninth and tenth centuries.
Brendan was born in 484, in modern-day County Kerry, province of Munster. He was
baptized as an infant by Saint Erc of Slane, a former pagan druid who submitted to Saint Patrick
during a confrontation at the Hill of Slane. After he was baptized, he was tutored and fostered by
many great saints, including Saint Ite of Killeedy, the “Brigid of Munster”, Saint Jarlaith, and
even Saint Finnian of Clonard, one of the fathers of Irish monasticism. His tutelage under
Finnian makes him one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.
At age 26, Brendan was ordained a priest by Saint Erc. His early ministry as a saint
involved building many monasteries, and it is here that he began his life as a seafarer.

His first voyage took him to the Aran Islands, the monastic home of Saint Enda of Aran. It is also written that he visited the island of Argyll, off the coast of Scotland, where he met Saint
Columcille.
The Voyage of Saint Brendan tells of his great odyssey, of which he is most known.

This story is modeled after an imramm, a form of Irish literature popular during the early medieval period involving seafaring journeys to find legendary places, such as the Irish Tir Na Nog.

Some versions have him seeking the Garden of Eden, others a mystical island called the Isle of the
Blessed. After learning of the island’s location, St. Brendan recruits fourteen monks to sail
with him. They fast for forty nights to spiritually prepare for their journey. Three pagans join them
at the last minute, all three perish by the end of the journey.
The journey takes seven years, and Brendan and his crew see many wonders. One
incredible story has them land on a large island to rest. As soon as they light a fire, the island starts to move. It turns out, it’s not an island: it’s a giant whale, and they sail on the
back of the whale for some time.

At the end of their seven-year journey, they find their destination and are allowed to enter briefly. Brendan and his companions return to Ireland, awed by what they saw, praising God and Jesus Christ.
Scholars have debated the historical and allegorical natures of St. Brendan’s Voyage.
People have even gone on their voyages to find St. Brendan’s Island. One new theory of
note is that St. Brendan was the first European to visit the Americas, though there is no
historical evidence to back this up. The tale is often treated as a spiritual work, describing the
soul’s spiritual journey to Heaven.

St. Brendan’s Voyage was well known throughout the Middle Ages, with many maps up to Christopher Columbus’ time placing the island in the western
Atlantic Ocean.
After his voyage, Brendan continued to establish monasteries and churches throughout
Ireland. He studied in Wales and spent three years evangelizing in Britain.

He died in 577 AD. His body was buried at a monastery near the modern-day Clonfert Cathedral.
Saint Brendan is the patron saint of many things. He is the patron saint of boatmen, divers,
mariners, travelers, whales, the Diocese of Clonfert, the Diocese of Kerry, and the United States Navy.

His feast day is May 16.
Saint Brendan the Navigator, pray for us!