The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-03-29
The 1nte- Columbian DiscOUere,s
Of 1HleFiCU.


was the first European to discover America /
is so general that mutitudes would be sur /
prlsed that a person could be so hardy as !
to attempt contrOverting what we have been |
taught as truth from our schOO-days and |
yet so stubborn are the facts adduced in |
support of the voyage of st. Brendan in |
the 9th century-nOt, as in modern times
with view to accumulate wealth, but with |
the true Christian missionary spmit, to !
preach the Gospel to heather nations and
gather them into the fold Of Christ-that
we think it worth while to call attention to
it,
St. Patrick landed as n missionary in
Ireland IN 432. When in that part of Ire
land now known as County Kerry he progh-
esied the birth of a boy who would be the
founder of great monastery a. the place
afterwards known as ClOufert, in the cOun
ty of Galway, the walls Of which are still
81 sanding. ST. Brendau had a cousin named
BarInthus, a seaiaring man who resided on
the western coast of Ireland, from whom
he had head wonderful accounts Of voy-
age he had made 10 the happy islands in
the western seas, off where the sun seems
to set, where it is perpetual spring, and
where 1t IS not required that the iuhabi-
tants should labor to obtain food.
1t Is an erroneous idea to suppose that the
Irish at that time had no ships capable of
making such voyage. 1t was at the time
1000 years before Christ, that the Phmni
clans left the coast of Tyre to sail the whole
length of the Mediterranean Sea. through
the Pillars of Hercules aud across the pres
enC Bay of Biscay, voyage as long rs from
the coast OF Ireland to that of America
while we see persons crossing the ocean III
our own days iu small boats 10 or 20 feet
long. The naval fleets of former days
seem 10 be undervalued, for King Dathy
brought a large fleet from holland to France
and au army amongst which there.wa a
large body of cavalry, and after that Kings
| death by lightning near the Alps, his gen
erals led them home abOu. the year 3SS.
| This fact alone proves very cOnclusively
| that he ancient Irish had ships capable Of
carrying cavalry.
ST. Brendan travelled along the western
shore of Ireland, seeking possible informl-
tion from the descendants of the ancient
/ TuatGa Dauaan Inhabitants Of the country
/ Having selected his crew. and made all his
! arrangements. lie set sail fl ON a well shel
/ ed harbur In his own country which bears
| his name to this Cay, After a long and
rough voyage, his HU.le bark being we'll
! PTDvjSiOued, he came to summer seas, his
/ course being Iu a South- ives Jcrly direction,
whore lie was carried along upon his voy-
! age without sails on oars for many days.
! This, 10 is reasonable To- presume, was the
4 Cuff Stream, which bruHght them on shore
/ sumewhcre about iLe 3Sth or 31th degree
/ of month latitude. Here having landed. and
| rested awhile, he marched inland for fifteen
| days steadily, when they arrived At great
/ river flowing inland from the sea- from east
/ 10 west, a thing never before heard of, and
/ showing a country as large as Europe and
/ Asia both put together. This great river is
/ believed 10 have been the Ohio, as that di
! reCtiuu corresponds with the general course
1 of that river. As there seemed to be no
! limit to this land Of wonders, the Saint Ge
| cided not to proceed any further west at
/ this time, but to leave more wonderful dis
/ cuveries aud the ChrI~trIauiziug OF the saw
| aEe inhabitants to others Who would follow.
! 1t is easy to imagine numerous reasons
! why Breudau should return to the seaside
/ fatigue, want Of provisions, discomfort
/ among his followers, etc, etc. l he i'm
! meusIty of the discovery they had made
/ was enough to opPress their very hearts
! with terror. added to which was the long
/ ing which must have excited lem to carry
! home the news to their OWN nation.
This voyage Of st. Brcudau's tonk place
( aCcO. ding 70 Culgau, the great Irish an
/ tiquary, IN the year 30 other authorities
I set it down rs being few ycaTs earlier
/ 1t is said that the legends and accounts of
/ this voyage, combined with the discoveries
/ by another Irish Saint, NmgiliuS, Bishop cf
/ Salzburg, in Bavaria, of the sphericity of
/ the earth, Rrst suggested TO the active mind
! OF Columbus the idea of the existence of
/ western continent, and that the subject was
| fully confirmed in his mind on hearing that
/ several DEAD bodies, of color and race
different frou any oiher ever discovered in
| Europe, Asia or Africa we're driven upon
/ the coast of the Cape de NcIGeS,
1t is a fact not generally known that the
first man of Columbus ; expedition to set
Z foot ON American soil was an IrIShman.
This is recorded 10y an ltal an priest, John
| Baptist TernitoTi. in publication of the
I nth century, a copy Of which Is IN the IL
braIy Of the University Of st. Louis. In
this work it is related that when Colum bus
ueaIed the land. the water not being deep
enough to admit the ship any further, the
small boats were launched to carry the ad-
/ miral on shore. Among the crew was one
| ItItricttLs .NagUiyuN. if he were in ireland
to-day he would be called Paddy Maguire)
| who jumped ont of the boat, reached the
land and Haded on shore, on the 4th Of
DC oher. 1892, thus Tightening the boat and
helping to carry the Admiral further up on
the beach. The roster Of the ships crew
that sailed fIom Spain is, all complete, in
the archives OF AIadIid, FROM which the
above has been taken, not because he, Pat
rick Mag ure was the only lriaLman in the
expedition, for there were several, but on
account of the remarkable action which
enabled him to be the first man to set bis
70 t on the newly discovered soil of Amer
icI.
There should be no surprise EXPRESSED at
meeting Irish names i'll the list OF mariners
i'm the Spanish fleet, when the qualifications
for enrolment in that expedition are con
sidercd. Nowhere on earth could such a
school for seamen be found as on the ives
tern coast Of Ireland, between which and
Spain, from the days of Scotia, consider
able traffic Was carried ON. Scotia was the
daughter of King solomon, and wife OF
Milesius, son of Hiram, King Of Tyre, VITO
, sent his artiiiccrs t. build the Temple fol
KIM Solomon. at which time the Princess
left her fathers hall's 10 follow, beyond the
seas i'm ships built by lor hUsLAuG's sub
ircis Ihc fortunes Of her lord, and suught
: d hCme among the rich green plains OF ne
land. 1t Is over $500 years since the Prin-
cess Scotia from whom lhe country HaS
called .Scutia and the inhabitants Sco.s),
with her three sons and their troops, landed
in Iceland and conquered the Tuatha- Da
T naans. From that period the intercourse