Saint Brendan, also known as Brendan the Navigator, was a 6th-century Irish monk, priest, and legendary voyager. He’s most famous for the tale of his epic sea journey known as The Voyage of Saint Brendan (Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis), in which he is said to have sailed across the Atlantic Ocean—possibly reaching North America—centuries before the Vikings or Columbus.

Who was he?

• Born: Around 484 AD in County Kerry, Ireland.
• Died: Around 577 AD.
• Occupation: Monk, missionary, and founder of several monasteries including Clonfert Abbey.
• Feast Day: May 16

The Voyage

• The legend, written around the 9th century, describes Brendan building a currach (a leather-clad wooden boat) and sailing with 14 monks to find the “Promised Land of the Saints.”
• They allegedly encountered sea monsters, floating islands, volcanoes, and miraculous events—often interpreted as a spiritual allegory.
• The journey supposedly took seven years, and Brendan eventually returned to Ireland to tell the tale.

Evidence for the Voyage to America

There’s no definitive historical or archaeological evidence proving Brendan reached America, but a few points fuel speculation:

• The Legend: The Navigatio describes islands that some believe could correspond to actual locations like:
• Iceland (volcanoes, geysers)
• Greenland (ice-covered coasts)
• North America (lush, fertile land at the end of the voyage)
• Tim Severin’s Voyage (1976–1977): British adventurer and historian Tim Severin recreated the journey using a traditional leather boat. He successfully sailed from Ireland to Newfoundland, stopping at the Hebrides, Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland.
• His voyage proved the trip was physically possible with 6th-century technology, though not that Brendan actually made it.
• Comparative Myths: Some Norse sagas and early maps reference Irish monks or “papar” in Iceland and other North Atlantic lands before Norse settlements.

Summary

While we can’t say for certain that Saint Brendan reached America, the combination of legend, possibility, and modern recreation has made his story one of the earliest and most fascinating tales of transatlantic exploration.

There’s no definitive, direct evidence that Christopher Columbus explicitly knew about Saint Brendan’s voyage, but there are hints and circumstantial evidence that suggest he may have been aware of the legend, or at least of stories that resembled it.

What We Know:

1. Columbus’s Writings and Sources

Columbus was an avid reader and drew on many medieval and classical sources to support his plans. He owned or had access to works like:

• “Imago Mundi” by Pierre d’Ailly (a cosmological and geographical work),
• The writings of Pliny, Ptolemy, and the Bible, and
• Tales of distant islands and lands in the Atlantic.

While Saint Brendan’s voyage (Navigatio Sancti Brendani) isn’t explicitly referenced by Columbus in his surviving writings, Pierre d’Ailly does mention Saint Brendan’s Island in his map and texts, and we know Columbus annotated those very pages in his copy of Imago Mundi. That’s a compelling clue.

2. Saint Brendan’s Island on Medieval Maps

• From the 13th to the 16th century, many maps of the Atlantic included “Saint Brendan’s Island”—a mysterious, elusive island thought to lie west of Europe (near or in the Atlantic).
• Columbus and other navigators would have seen these maps and been aware of such legends.
• It’s plausible Columbus believed there were lands west of Europe based in part on these legends, including Brendan’s.

3. Columbus’s Justifications for a Westward Voyage

• He often cited past reports of western lands—from both classical antiquity and Christian lore—to convince skeptics that land existed across the ocean.
• These included not just Brendan, but also stories like:
• The Island of Antillia
• The Seven Cities of Cíbola
• Norse sagas (possibly filtered through Iberian or Irish channels)

So, did he know about Brendan?

Probably yes, at least in a general or legendary sense. He may not have studied Brendan’s voyage in detail, but the legend likely contributed to the medieval worldview of lands existing across the Atlantic—which Columbus drew on.