THE Central Bank of Ireland yesterday launched a limited edition €10 silver proof coin celebrating Saint Brendan the Navigator.
The collector coin, part of a Europe-wide
initiative to honour European explorers, depicts Saint Brendan and
his monks sailing towards the Americas on his legendary voyage across
the Atlantic in the sixth century.
Designed by Michael Guilfoyle,
the coin is illustrated in iconography associated with Saint Brendan's
epic journey and shows him sailing across the rolling waves in a
stylised, interwoven pattern to reflect the explorer's Irish heritage.
Speaking
at the launch in Ardfert Cathedral, Co Kerry, the monastery founded
by Saint Brendan, Mary O'Dea, director of financial operations at the
Central Bank, said: ''The voyage he undertook with his monks is
recognised in this commemorative coin and it is fitting that we are in
Ardfert to mark this special occasion.''