The Brendan Voyage (1978)

I was unfamiliar with stories of ocean setting Irish monk explorers from the 8th century, setting out to uncover new lands. Sounds like fantasy. However, by recreating the voyage of Saint Brendan with traditional boat building materials such as leather, Severin sets out to prove that the historical account is factual, yet simply naiive in its retelling.

Severin's adventure and commitment to the historical value of his trip is comendable. I found the early parts of the book to be the most interesting as he tried to source the correct materials to build the boat. The characters involved seemed fascinating and I would've loved to learn more about them.

From a different writer, I think this book could have been much more entertaining to read. However, Severin treads a fine balance between appealing to all interests. ( )

This is the first of Severin's great sea stories, recreating the ships and voyages of ancient and medieval times. Brendan in this case is the 6th Century Irish monk who was said to have traveled to Paradise in the far west of the Atlantic Ocean in a leather boat. Severin is aware that leather (stretched on wood frames) boats are still in use in the west of Ireland and commissions a full scale ocean-going re-creation of Brendan's. His intention is to prove (or disprove) that the legendary voyage of St Brendan might actually have occurred and that an Irish monk may have been the first European discoverer of the Americas, 800 years before Columbus.

Severin mixes a little bit of scholarly history with his account of an extraordinary voyage, using his considerable talents as a story teller to take the reader along on a journey through the freezing North Atlantic. His descriptions of cold wet misery in rough seas are amongst the best - or worst - I've ever read. Severin's real achievement though is to introduce the reader to different cultures and places through the stories of people he meets and journeys with along the way. You get a sense that Severin loves his boats and his history, but he loves his crew most of all - in a very taciturn, very British kind of way. And in the end his discovery is not so much a continent or the plausible core of an ancient legend, but rather of a community of people who live alongside and on the the North Atlantic Ocean transcending locality and language, bound by their common hardships and generosity towards all who sail on the seas.

This book is a great introduction to Severin, or as a tale of the North Atlantic. It would be beautifully paired with W.Hodding Carter's 'A Viking Voyage', a tale of an equally obsessed (and eccentric) captain and crew who set out to sail an authentic Viking long boat from Greenland to America. Highly recommended. If you happen to be passing through Ireland some day, the 'Brendan' is on display at Craggaunowen in what looks like a very impressive living history museum, and if you can't make that you might be able to catch a rerun of the National Geographic Explorer series (No.95) 1985 television documentary of the voyage. ( )

Fascinating. Full of detail about the building of the boat, and the links to the 6th century voyage of St Brendan from Ireland to Newfoundland, but always very readable. The voyage itself makes a gripping story. ( )

(900 words) http://cburrell.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/feast-of-st-brendan-the-voyager/

I've read this several times, and love it more each time. Big research plus big preparation plus big balls equals big adventure.