Happy St. Patrick’s Day! While good ol’ St. Pat is celebrated on March 17 with parade, party, and an abundance of properly poured pints, another Irish saint holds much more sway in the maritime world throughout the rest of the year. St. Brendan (aka Brendan the Voyager or Brendan the Navigator) is the patron saint of navigators and sailors. Many a prayer has been offered to “the Voyager” during a dark and stormy night on a windswept sea. The saga of his voyage in the early 6th century is chronicled in “The Voyage of St. Brendan the Abbot” and remains a great seafaring legend. Some scholars believe he may well have been the first European to reach North America. Convinced that the legend was based in historical truth, British explorer and historian Tim Severin built a replica of Brendans currach. Handcrafted using traditional tools, the 36-foot, two masted boat was built of Irish ash and oak, hand-lashed together with nearly two miles of leather thong, wrapped with 49 traditionally tanned ox hides, and sealed with wool grease. Between May 1976 and June 1977, Severin and his crew sailed the Brendan 4,500 miles from Ireland to Peckford Island, Newfoundland, stopping at the Hebrides and Iceland en route. His recreation of the voyage helped to identify the basis for many of the legendary elements in the Voyage of St. Brendan. So as you raise a glass on St. Patty’s Day, remember to offer a salute to that other great Irish saint and sailor, St. Brendan. The image attached is of Tim Severin’s boat the Brendan.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 11:00:00 +0000