The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-07-04
DISCOvERER OF AMERICA.
Continued from page II
A LAND OLE MYSTERY.


and near it was Obrazil, the isle of the blessed
The monks, priests and learned men of lrelan
were famous for their familiar knowledge of tn
Holy Scriptures. They looked forward to the tim
when the prophecy of Isais that 'the Lords prais
would be declared in the islands of the sea tina
waited for his law" They believed that "the islam
afar off that has not heard my name" was yet t
be discovered and that when Jerimas, the prophet
whom they fondly thought to have visited thei
own Ireland, foretod that "the islands afar of
would hear the word of the Lord" he had in min
the yet undiscovered land.
ST. Brendan in his lonely retreat near Brendal
Bay pondered these prophetic sayings of tn
holy men of old, and believed the time had come t
bear the message of the gospel to the people inhab
iting these undiscovered lands. With his com
panions, he disappeared from Ireland and was alb
sent seven years. After his return from his won
derful voyage of discovery and evangeization h
visited Scotland and Wales, where he evangelizec
the mountain tribes. He returned to Ireland ant
founded the monastic homes of Brandon and Ard
fert. Once again he began his monastic labors and
in reward for his zeal and sanctty was consecratec
bishop, He fixed his see at Ardfert and in 55s
visited Wales and fingered for a time preaching
to the clans of Iona. Returning home, he erected
churches in Galway, Mayo and Clonfert, dying at
his monastery of Clonfert at patriarchal age
Such in brief is all that has come down to us from
those early times touching the life of Brendan. The
Irish abbot is prominently the
SAILOR-SAINT
of thp in,
May Is. He is also known as st. Brendan the
Elder to distinguish him from another saint of the
same name, who Abbot of Birr. In the middle
ages, and long after the ocean voyage and naviga-
ton of unknown seas by ST. Brendan the stories
of his voyage were popular reading in the htera-
ture of Europe. They were themes of inspiration
tor poets and of absorbing interest for historians
and composers of legend. Manuscript narratives
OF the adventurous voyage and daring explorations
yet exist IN Spanish, French, German Italian and
other European libraries Even now the voyage of
the 'mariner-sant" inspires poets of every land
Darcy MCGEE, Eleanor DonneIly-sster of Igna-
thus Donnely-and Dalton Mccarthy have given
US many beautiful poems on our sanity and roman
tic hero and his daring voyage. The hands of nv
clock in this lonely little Inn of Cuautla are an
preaching midnight, so | close this letter to the
lntermountain Catholic with stanza or two from
poor Darcy MCGEE, the brilliant Irish poet, orator
and historian who forty years ago was shot tc
death IN Ottawa, Canada, by one of his own mis-
guided countrymen:
Mo. Brendin, Saint of Sailors, list to me.
And give thy benediction to our bark.
sri tberc ~
And ightest signal fires in tempest dark.
Thou sought'st the promised land far in the ives
harthening the sun, chasing Hesperian on
But we IN our own Ireland had been blest,
Nor ever sighed for land beyond the sea.
q - IL AueAulA