Sailing with St Brendan: A River Shannon Pilgrimage to Celebrate St Brendan the Navigator

Saturday, 16 May
A unique Christian pilgrimage by boat and on foot will take place along the River
Shannon this May as pilgrims gather to mark the feast of one of Ireland’s most
adventurous saints, St Brendan the Navigator.
On Saturday, 16 May 2026, two Church of Ireland Pioneer Ministry initiatives will
invite people from across the country to take part in a water pilgrimage retracing
ancient Christian routes through Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.
The pilgrimage will begin with registration at 9:00am at the Athlone Lock, where
participants will gather before travelling south along the River Shannon by boat. The
first stop will be Temple Connor Church at Clonmacnoise, often referred to as the
spiritual heart of Ireland. The famous monastic city was founded by St Ciarán in 544
AD. Both Ciarán and Brendan were fellow students at Clonard Abbey under St
Finnian and formed part of the celebrated “Twelve Apostles of Ireland.”
Following Clonmacnoise, the pilgrimage will continue by water to Shannonbridge,
followed by a walk off the beaten track across bogland before arriving at the final
destination — Clonfert Cathedral in County Galway.
Clonfert Cathedral is one of Ireland’s most beautiful 12th-century churches, built on
the site of St Brendan’s original monastery founded in 563 AD. Inside the cathedral
stands the bishop’s oak chair (cathedra), with a renowned carving of St Brendan.
Outside the cathedral, in front of the striking Hiberno-Romanesque doorway, lies the
grave of St Brendan himself. Nearby are also St Brendan’s Well and the traditional
rag tree, long associated with prayer and pilgrimage.
This immersive pilgrimage is being organised through two Church of Ireland Pioneer
Ministries: The United Dioceses of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe’s Spiritual Pilgrimage
and Tourism Project, led by Valerie Raitt, and the Dioceses of Meath and Kildare’s
Community of the Celtic Cross, led by Rev Philip McKinley. Both initiatives aim to
reconnect people with Ireland’s early Christian heritage and to rediscover the
spiritual richness of Celtic Christianity for the challenges of life in the 21st century.
What makes this pilgrimage particularly special is the journey by water. Travelling by
boat along the Shannon invites pilgrims to enter into the spirit of St Brendan the
Navigator himself.
St Brendan was born around 484 AD in County Kerry. His enduring fame comes
from the 9th-century manuscript Navigatio Sancti Brendani Abbatis (The Voyage of
St Brendan), which tells the story of a remarkable sea journey he undertook across
the Atlantic with fellow monks. For seven years they travelled in a currach in search
of the “Promised Land of the Saints,” encountering legendary wonders such as sea
monsters, crystal pillars, and even a giant whale mistaken for an island. The story
was famously recreated in film and music in the late 1970s in The Brendan Voyage.
Organisers hope the pilgrimage will offer participants not only a memorable journey
through some of Ireland’s most sacred landscapes, but also an opportunity for
prayer, reflection, and a renewal of Christian faith.

Participants are asked to bring a packed lunch, which will be eaten on the boat after
leaving Clonmacnoise while travelling toward Shannonbridge. At the end of the day,
a bus will return all pilgrims to Athlone.
Numbers are limited and early booking is advised.
Cost: €55 per person
Registration: Please click into this link and scroll down to the post Sailing with St
Brendan – https://tlk.ie/spiritualtourism/
Spiritual Pilgrimage & Tourism Project
United Dioceses of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe
Email: [email protected]