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| LESSON 6 |
Ireland and the Sea |
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| Seafaring Monks |
The spread of Christianity in Ireland was accompanied by the building of monasteries. The attacks of the Barbarians on Rome and other areas on the Mediterranean, caused the flight of many scholars from these areas to Ireland.
Many famous schools were founded. Monks went from these schools and monasteries to bring Christianity to the pagan people of Northern Britain, Scotland and the western isles. The monks used the traditional Irish coracles on these voyages, which brought them as far north as Iceland, and to some places on the continent.
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Colum Cille, who founded his monastery on the Isle of Iona, was reputed to be 'skilled in the coursing of the sea'. |
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St. Brendan, the Navigator is the best known of all early Irish seafarers. Some historians claim Brendan reached America almost a thousand years before Columbus. This may or may not be correct but it is certainly true that his voyages have attracted the attention of navigators and historians from all over the world. |
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See if you can find answers to these questions: |
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Christianity is a religion. Name four other religions?
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Who were the Barbarians and were did they come from?
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Name the country of which Rome is the capital city.
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The Mediterranean is a sea. Name five more seas.
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What is a monk?
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What does pagan mean?
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What is a coracle?
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What does a navigator do?
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What is a historian?
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Where are the Western Isles? Is there another name for them?
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Colum Cille lived in the 6th Century. What does his name mean in English?
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Where is the Isle of Iona?
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Who was St. Brendan, the Navigator? (Check Famous Irish Sailors on this site for more information)
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