The Brendan Voyage

Across the Atlantic in a Leather Boat

Saint Brendan is the most important historic figure of the Dingle Peninsula. There are references to his name scattered right across the map of the peninsula, from the heights of Brandon Mountain to the open sea of Brandon Bay. Brandon Creek is a 15 minute walk from the Dingle Way at Cuas and it was from here that Saint Brendan set sail in the 6th Century on an epic voyage to the Promised Land.

There has been much debate as to whether this voyage saw Saint Brendan become the first European to discover North America. It seemed highly improbable that anyone could make it across the Atlantic Ocean in a small boat made of leather stretched over a wooden frame. Wanting to see if this was theoretically possible, Tim Severin constructed a medieval sailing vessel using traditional materials and set sail from Brandon's Creek in 1976.

Severin attempts to cut through the colourful details that embellish the story of Saint Brendan's crossing by finding parallels to his own experience on the sea. By taking a ciruitous route across the Atlantic, from Ireland to Newfoundland in Canada, Severin is able to put forward many satisfactory explanations to answer the questions raised by the ancient texts on Saint Brendan. Right from the very beginning of the book until the end, the readers interest is held throughout by this fascinating adventure of discovery.