Which Irish saint is legendary for voyaging across the Atlantic in a leather boat?

Which Irish saint is legendary for voyaging across the Atlantic in a leather boat? Saint Brendan.

Saint Brendan of Clonfert, also called Brendan the Navigator, was an early Irish monastic saint traditionally dated to about 484–577. His legendary voyage is told in the medieval Latin narrative Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis, or The Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot. The story describes a journey westward across the Atlantic in search of the Isle of the Blessed.

The vessel is described as a currach-like boat made from wattle and covered with animal hides. The voyage includes fantastical encounters, including islands, sea creatures, crystal structures, and a land identified with paradise. Scholars generally treat the narrative as a mixture of Christian symbolism, voyage tradition, and possibly real seafaring knowledge rather than a reliable travel diary.

In 1976–1977, explorer Tim Severin tested whether such a craft could cross the North Atlantic. His hide-covered replica sailed from Ireland to Newfoundland, demonstrating feasibility but not proving that Brendan himself reached the Americas. The legend was influential enough that medieval and Renaissance maps sometimes marked a supposed Saint Brendan’s Island.