Saint Brendan the Navigator was the Irish Saint whose sixth-century voyage to America beat Christopher Columbus by some 900 years. He’s mentioned on this site in a short entry for his feast day (May 16), and on a longer piece about the Pre-Columbian Irish presence in America, “America’s First Christmas Card.” There’s also a mention of the Holy Irish Abbot in “More Catholic Thank you Think,” which discusses other Pre-Columbian Catholic arrivals on our shores.
I just learned that the Irish composer, Shaun Davey, wrote a suite for uilleann pipes and orchestra entitled “The Brendan Voyage.” The suite, which combines that lovely traditional Irish instrument with a modern symphony orchestra, was inspired by Tim Severin’s successful replication of Saint Brendan’s voyage to America. Severin followed the route (and other details) laid out in the sixth-century monk’s own written account of his voyage, the Navagatio.
Below is an embedded YouTube video of the suite, performed by the WDR Funkhaus Orchestra under the baton of David Brophy — recorded live on 6 March 2026 at the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz.
