Enjoy About Saint Brendan's Irish Cream Liqueur

Saint Brendan's Irish Cream Liqueur is a cream liqueur named after Saint Brendan. It is made in Derry, Northern Ireland, using local Irish whiskey and fresh cream.

Saint Brendan's Irish cream is made in a factory located inside a Dairy plant situated on the east bank of Derry, on Rossdowny Road, near Lincoln Courts.

Enjoy About The Real Saint Brendan

Who Inspired The Famous Liqueur

 
St. Brendan and the whale from a 15th century manuscript

Saint Brendan of Clonfert or Bréanainn of Clonfert (c. 484 – c. 578) called "the Navigator" or "the Voyager", is one of the early Irish monastic saints whose legends have overshadowed their history. He is chiefly renowned for his semi-legendary quest to the Land of Delight. His feast day is May 16.

Early Life

In AD 484 Saint Brendan was born near what is now Fenit the port of Tralee, in the county of Kerry in the south west of Ireland. It was known as Ciarraight Luachra in those days. He was baptized at Tubrid, near Ardfert, by Bishop Erc. For five years he was educated under Saint Ita, "the Brigid of Munster", and he completed his studies under Erc, who ordained him priest in 512. Between the years 512 and 530 St. Brendan built monastic cells at Ardfert, and, at the foot of Brandon Hill, Shanakeel— Seana Cill, usually translated as "the old church"— also called Baalynevinoorach. It was from here that he set out on his famous seven years voyage for the Land of Delight. The old Irish Calendars assigned a special feast for the Egressio familiae S. Brendani, on 22 March; and St Aengus the Culdee, in his Litany composed at the close of the eighth century, invokes "the sixty who accompanied St. Brendan in his quest for the Land of Promise".

 
Brendan discovering the Faroes and Iceland
Stamp sheet FR 252-253 of Postverk Føroya
Issued: 18 April 1994
Artist: Colin Harrison

Legendary Journey

St Brendan is chiefly renowned for his legendary journey to The Isle of the Blessed (also called Tír na nÓg) as described in the ninth century Voyage of St Brendan the Navigator. Many versions exist, but they all tell of how he set out onto the Atlantic Ocean with sixty pilgrims (other versions have fourteen, plus three unbelievers who join at the last minute), searching for the Garden of Eden. If it happened, this would have occurred in around 530, before his travel to the island of Britain. On his trip, Brendan is supposed to have seen a blessed island covered with vegetation. He also encountered a sea monster, an adventure he shared with his contemporary St. Columba. The most commonly illustrated adventure is his landing on an island which turns out to be a giant sea monster called Jascon or Jasconius. This too, has its parallels in other stories, not only in Irish myth but in other traditions, from Sinbad up to Pinocchio.

While it is generally assumed that the story is a religious allegory, there has been considerable ink spilled over the question of whether it really happened, and whether the Isle of the Blessed that Brendan reached was not, in fact, America. In fact, there is a St. Brendan Society that believes, and celebrate the fact, that Brendan was the first to discover America. As Tim Severin showed in his book, it is not impossible that Brendan may have encountered North America on his journey, in which case Brendan really was one of the first European visitors to the New World. Christopher Columbus relied on the legends told of St. Brendan as part of his argument that it was indeed possible to travel to Asia by crossing the Atlantic. Some propose St Brendan as one of the ancient visitors to the Americas.

As a genre, The Voyage of St. Brendan (in Latin, the Navigatio Sancti Brendani) fits in with a then-popular form of literature, peculiar to Ireland, called an imrama, that describes a hero's series of adventures in a boat. For example, there appear to be similarities with The Voyage of Bran written much earlier. In the Navigatio, this style of storytelling meshed with a religious ascetic tradition where Irish monks would travel alone in boats, the same way their desert brothers used to isolate themselves in caves.

Effects

Naturally, the story of the seven years voyage was carried about, and soon crowds of pilgrims and students flocked to Ardfert. Thus, in a few years, many religious houses were formed - at Gallerus, Kilmalchedor, Brandon Hill, and the Blasket Islands - in order to meet the wants of those who came for spiritual guidance to St. Brendan.

Saint Brendan is the Patron Saint of the navy of the United States of America.

Further Travels

Later, he travelled to Wales and the holy island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland; returning to Ireland, he founded a bishopric at Annaghdown, where he spent the rest of his days. He was recognised as a saint by the Irish church, and his feast day is May 16. Having established the bishopric of Ardfert, Brendan proceeded to Thomond, and founded a monastery at Inis-da-druim (now Coney Island), in the present parish of Killadysert, County Clare, about the year 550. He then journeyed to Wales, and thence to Iona, for he is said to have left traces of his apostolic zeal at Kil-brandon (near Oban) and Kil-brennan Sound. After a three years' mission in Britain he returned to Ireland, and did more proselytizing in various parts of Leinster, especially at Dysart (Co. Kilkenny), Killiney (Tubberboe), and Brandon Hill. He established churches at Inchiquin, County Galway and at Inishglora, County Mayo.

His most celebrated foundation was Clonfert, in 557, over which he appointed St. Moinenn as Prior and Head Master. Brendan was interred in Clonfert.

In 1976, Irish explorer Tim Severin built an ox leather curragh and over two summers sailed her from Ireland via the Hebrides, Faroe Islands and Iceland to Newfoundland to demonstrate that the saint's fantastic voyage was physically possible. On his voyage, he encountered various sights such as icebergs and sea animals such as whales and porpoises which appeared to be factual counterparts to the fantastic sights from the legends of Brendan. See The Brendan Voyage, ISBN 0-349-10707-6.

Appearances In Popular Culture

Novelist Frederick Buechner retold the story of Brendan's travels in his 1987 novel Brendan.

The cream liqueur Saint Brendan's is named after him.

Brandania is a Canarian group of Celtic-music players. Their name hints to the Canary Islands as St Brendan's Island.

The Canadian band The Lowest of the Low wrote a song titled "St. Brendan's Way" that appears on their album Shakespeare My Butt

The celtic band Iona made an entire recording inspired by the voyage of Saint Brendan called Beyond These Shores, now available as part of the recording The River Flows.

Jeff Johnson released a recording through Hearts of Space in 1988 called Prayers Of St. Brendan - The Journey Home.

An animated feature film based on the story, called Brendan and the Secret of Kells, is currently being made in Europe. It is due for release in 2007.

Brendan's travels are retold for young readers in "The Sailing Saint".

SOME SAINT BRENDANS COLLECTIBLES