Bronze Plaques – Our Lady and St. Brendan's Parish

Bronze Plaques

Bronze Plaques

Plaque 1

St. Brendan went to visit St. Enda, where he stayed for 3 days and 3 nights to get his blessing. He then returned to his native home and began to build a light wooden boat covered with ox hide.

Plaque 2

Fifteen days into the journey they were blown to a tall rocky island. It was difficult to land there. They were met by a stray dog who led them to a hall where there food was set out for them.

Plaque 3

The next Island they came to was called the island of the Sheep. There were sheep on every side and everyone as big as an ox. This island is believed to be one of the Faroe Islands.

Plaque 4

The monks beached their boat next to an island and lit a fire. As the pot began to boil, the island started to shake. They ran to their boat and watched the “Island” swim off. Brendan explained that this island was the biggest fish in the ocean.

Plaque 5

After the island of the Sheep and the landing on Jasconius, an island with a stream flowing into the sea. St. Brendan ordered his monks to draw the boat up the river bed. The width of the river was the width of the boat. They came to the source of the river and over the spring was a tree covered with so many white birds that you could not see its leaves. One of the birds flew from the tree making a noise from her wings like a hand bell.

Plaque 6

One day they saw a huge beast that was about to devour them. St. Brendan prayed to the Lord and suddenly a mighty monster attacked the beast and cut him into three pieces. A few days later they came to an island and on it they saw the end portion of the beast that had been slain. St. Brendan told his monks to take enough meat form the beast to last three months because by morning all that would be left would be bones.

Plaque 7

At one point the boat was attacked by a flying gryphon. Just as it was about to strike its talons, a bird appeared and drove off the gryphon. The bird had earlier brought grapes the size of apples for the monks to eat.

Plaque 8

This panel depicts the time, while on the voyage, that they sailed in waters so clear they could see the different fish lying at the bottom of the ocean. When Brendan sang, they swam up to the curragh and swam in a great shoal around as far as the monks could see.

Plaque 9

One day a pillar in the sea appeared to them. It was higher than the sky. A wide meshed net was wrapped around it, so wide the boat could pass through its opening. The pillar seemed to be made of crystal. The sea was so clear that they could see the foundation of the pillar and the bottom of the net on the sea bed. They sailed in the shadow of the pillar yet could feel the heat of the sun. St. Brendan took measurements of each side of the pillar. On the south side he found a chalice and a paten and took them as a gift from God.

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Plaque 10

Eight days after the pillar of crystals they came across a very rocky island full of slag. They heard the sounds of bellows blowing like thunder. They saw one of the inhabitants who was very shaggy and full of fire and darkness. He started throwing lumps of burning slag at the monks. It did no harm to them but the seas around them seemed to boil like an erupting volcano.

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Plaque 11

Once they came across a man on a small rock with a cloth suspended between iron forked supports. The waves and the cloth lashed against him. He told St. Brendan that he was Judas and he was the rock because of God’s mercy. Every Sunday, Christmas, Easter and other Holy Day he was given respite from the fire of hell on this rock. So to him this was not penance but a paradise. When the demons came to take Judas back to hell that evening St. Brendan ordered them to leave him until morning.

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Plaque 12

Towards the end of their journey they came across a small rocky island made from flint, with only a narrow difficult landing-place. Paul the hermit lived on the island for 60 years. For the first 30 years on the island an otter brought him a fish every 3rd day. It also brought him a small bundle of firewood. He lit a fire with the flint and cooked fish which he ate over 3 days. After 30 years he found 2 caves and a well and for 60 years he got his only nourishment from the water.

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Plaque 13

After St. Brendan completed his journey to the Promised Land he returned home to his monastery knowing that his death was fast approaching.

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