Fenit & Saint Brendan The Navigator

Great Samphire Rock, Samphire Island, Co. Kerry

Introduction

The Fenit skyline is marked by the towering St. Brendan commemorative statue, located on the peak of Great Samphire Rock (at the end of the pier). Saint Brendan is thought to have discovered America 1000 years before Columbus.

Slí Bhreanainn Heritage Trail (The Brendan Way) stretches from Fenit to Lerrig Cross in Ardfert. The trail begins at Great Samphire Rock honouring Saint Brendan’s voyages. The trail has seven stations each with significance to Saint Brendan’s life, including his reported birthplace on Fenit Island in 484 AD, his baptism at Tobar na Molt (Weathers’ Well) near Ardfert, and his ordination at Tearmon Eirc Lerrig in 510 AD.