Venerable, Hegumen Brendan of Clonfert, the Navigator

Venerable Brendan was born in 484 in Ireland, in the region of Kerry. He took monastic vows and founded a number of monasteries, the most important of which was the monastery at Clonfert, where he became hegumen and mentor to a large brotherhood. He is renowned above all for his legendary sea voyage: according to the medieval work "The Voyage of Saint Brendan" (Navigatio Sancti Brendani), widely circulated throughout medieval Europe, Venerable Brendan and his fellow monks sailed the Atlantic Ocean for seven years in a leather curragh in search of the "Isle of the Blessed," encountering wondrous islands, sea monsters, and a giant whale that appeared once a year. This legend made Brendan the patron of sailors and one of the most venerated Irish saints alongside Patrick and Columba. He died in 577 or 578. His memory is kept on May 3/16.