Brendon became a monk and later a abbot. His main centre of activity was
western Ireland, where several placenames and landmarks, such as Mount Brandon
in the Dingle peninsula, are named after him.
Brendon founded monasteries at Clonfert, c599, Annadown (Co Galway) Inishadroum
(Co Clare) and Ardfert (Co Kerry).
Like many other Irish monks he was a great traveller, he is said to have
visited Columba at Hinba (Argyll) others claim that he founded a Scottish
monastery, became abbot of Llancarvan (Wales) and that he went to Brittany.
Few details of his life can be asserted with certainty. His cult, however, was
certainly strong in Ireland, from the 9th century, and in Wales, Scotland and
Brittany.
The cult owed much to the famous, ' Navigation of St. Brendon'. This visionary
romance of the 8th and 9th centuries transformed the historical, seafaring
abbot into a mythical adventurer, who accomplished incredible exploits. Its
immense popularity is proved from the survival of 116 medieval Latin
manuscripts of the text. Unfortunately it is very likely that the whole story
is a delightful work of fiction.
Saint Brendon's feast day is the 16th May.
Written and contributed by Phillip Lloyd.
