4 St Patrick, the Church, and the Vikings leather boat.

Some people said

chat this was not possible, but in
In 401 some Irishmen came to 1976 an Englishman, Tim
Britain. They took many people Severin, built a leather boat
back to Ireland and sold chem. called Brendan and sailed it
One of these people was from Ireland to lceland and
Patrick, who was only sixteen. America. You can see the
For six years young. Patrick Brendan at Craggaunowen in
worked with sheep on a farm. County Clare in the west of
Then when he was twenty- Ireland.
two, he ran away to France There were many beautiful,
He learned about God from expensive things in the Irish
monks at a school in a French churches and monasteries, and
monastery in 432 he went back Norwegian Vikings care to
so Ireland to teach the Irish Ireland to steal them and kill the
about God. The Irish kings monks. Because of this, the
listened to him, and he built an monks built tall round towers
important church in Armagh. beside their monasteries. When
A hundred years later, Ireland was one of the most important the Vikings came the monks ran
Christian countries in Europe, which beautiful churches and into the towers to hide. You can
monasteries everywhere. Irish writers wrote famous, important see these towers in Irish villages today.
books like the Book of Kells, which you can see in Dublin today, One of the most interesting Irish monasteries is on Skellig
and there are pictures of Sir Patrick in many Irish churches. Michael. It is an island in the Atlantic sixteen kilometres south-west
Another Trish churchman. called Brendan, sailed in Scotland, of Ireland. It is a beautiful, windy place. The island is 240 metres
Iceland, Greenland, and America in a small high, and in bad weather no boats can ger there. "There is no danger
here, the Irish monks thought; but they were wrong. In 824, Vikings
came in their long ships to attack Skellig Michael too.
But some Vikings came to Ireland to stay. They built towns by the
sea - Dublin, Cork, Waterford, and Limerick.