Elements of the story of the great medieval saint and navigator, Brendan of Kerry, are to be found ‘in every monastery in Europe’, but there is no central archive or local appreciation of the saint whose voyages are believed to have inspired Christopher Columbus.
Up to now, there has been no means of drawing together the Kerry saint’s many strands, the launch of a new campaign in Ardfert heard.
The recently restored medieval cathedral of Ardfert by the OPW, where Brendan was educated and where he founded a monastery, is at the heart of the plan by former tánaiste Dick Spring and others.
"Elements of the legend and lives of Brendan are to be found in every medieval monastery in Europe. There is a need to assemble a comprehensive Brendan archive that will include scholarly material and artistic creativity drawn from all over the world," Mr Spring said.
There will be a need for ongoing scholarship and research via links with a third-level institution, Mr Spring who is chairing the project said.
There is ‘an awful lot of material’ out there that is only becoming available and a lot of research that the public should be able to access, Mr Spring said.
It was important to bring Brendan to life for the next generation too, he said.
From Brandon Creek, Brendan and his monks crossed the Atlantic and stepped ashore in America — 900 years before Columbus, it is strongly believed.
Some of his voyages may have been launched from Fenit Island where he was born and where a 12ft-bronze bronze statue commemorates him, thanks to local priest and lecturer — the late Fr Gearoid O’Donnchda.
Modern technology will be harnessed to tell the great sea sagas of medieval Europe and of Brendan, the launch was told.
It was important to anchor Brendan properly in the public mind, Frank Lewis, broadcaster and folklorist, and chair of the organisation Storied Kerry said.
Brendan's is an extraordinarily rich story, the launch heard, and while over the past few years Kerry's history has been overwhelmingly about atrocities and awful deeds of 100 years ago, the longer and more varied story of Brendan the Saint presents a more unifying and uplifting side of Kerry.
‘‘The great Kerry story is St Brendan,’ Mr Lewis said.
He is spearheading a fortnight of events surrounding the May 16 feast day of Brendan in 2024. These will include exhibitions in the library and the Kerry county museum as well as Camino-style walks linking villages associated with Brendan along the Atlantic coast of North and west Kerry.
An annual walk and mass up the eponymous Mount Brandon and down to Brandon Creek takes place each May 16th.