The Brendan Voyage

In 1976, explorer Tim Severin and a small crew set out to test a medieval legend by sailing a reconstructed leather curragh from Ireland to North America. Using ancient techniques and oxhide stitched by a family-run tannery, they built the boat to match the vessel that Saint Brendan, a sixth-century Irish monk, supposedly commanded. The narrative follows their painstaking preparation, the perilous Atlantic crossing, and the question of whether a 6th-century monk could really have reached the New World long before Columbus. The story blends history, maritime adventure, and scientific experiment as Severin and his team battle fierce weather and uncertain navigation to complete the voyage.