Presented by: Claudia Köhler (Education Officer, Kerry County Museum and Chairperson of the St Brendan Heritage Committee, Fenit)

Duration: 30 minutes + Quiz and Q&A 

Suitable for: Primary School (all ages) 

Strand/ Unit: Stories/ Stories from the lives of people in the past 

St Brendan was born in Fenit, near Tralee around 500 AD. He founded a federation of monasteries in Ireland, but he is most famous for his legendary voyage across the North Atlantic in a simple wooden boat. Without the help of navigational instruments, he may have reached America 500 years before the Vikings and 1000 years before Christopher Columbus. His story seems to describe the sheep and seabirds of the Faeroe Islands, the volcanoes of Iceland, the icebergs of Greenland and the fog surrounding Newfoundland. His travel adventures were written down in monasteries all over Europe and soon became a major medieval bestseller. From growing up in Fenit to his famous travel adventures, this webinar is an introduction to the life and adventures of Kerry’s adventurous seafaring Saint whose feast day is annually commemorated on the 16th May.

Presenter: