Press Releases
Sailing with St Brendan: A River Shannon Pilgrimage to Celebrate St Brendan the Navigator
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/
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Spiritual Pilgrimage & Tourism Project United Dioceses of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe Email: [email protected]
Photographs: Revd Philip McKinley