''The Voyage of the Uí Chorra'' ( Irish: ''Immram curaig húa Corra'', literally, "the voyage of the coracle of the sons of O'Corra") is one of the three surviving Immrama, or ancient Irish voyage tales. The Immram curaig húa Corra is found in three manuscripts, all in the library of the RIA. It tells the story of the three sons of Connall ua Corra, a landowner of

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

, who had made a bargain with the

Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

before their birth. The three sons grew up to become leaders of a notorious gang of bandits who targeted the churches of the province, until they were struck by a vision and repented their ways. The penitent three proceeded to the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of St.

Finnian of Clonard Finnian of Clonard ('Cluain Eraird') – also Finian, Fionán or Fionnán in Irish; or Finianus and Finanus in its Latinised form (470–549) – was one of the early Irish monastic saints, who founded Clonard Abbey in modern-day County Meath ...

, who instructed them to repair every church they had destroyed. As a final act of contrition, on the advice of St. Coman of Kinvara, the keeper of the last church they repaired, the three brothers set out on an

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

voyage on a small boat (a ''

currach A currach ( ) is a type of Irish boat with a wooden frame, over which animal skins or hides were once stretched, though now canvas is more usual. It is sometimes anglicised as "curragh". The construction and design of the currach are unique ...

''), accompanied by five others (a bishop, a priest, a deacon, a musician and the craftsman who built the boat). The nine travelers proceeded on their fantastic ocean journey, hopping from legendary island to island, encountering different peoples and fantastic adventures along the way (told as

allegories As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...

of Christian morality). The nine wanderers eventually reached the coast of

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

, where they settled down and built a church. According to the legend, the Bishop eventually left the settlement and went to Rome, accompanied by one of the youths. They then proceeded back to Ireland, and related the story of their adventures, where it was eventually written down in the form of a poem. The story is echoed and may be related to the 12th Century Andalusian

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

story, told by

al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi (; ; 1100–1165), was an Arab Muslim geographer and cartographer who served in the court of King Roger II at Palermo, Sicily. Muhammad al-Idrisi was born in C ...

, of the eight ''Maghurin'' (Wanderers) of

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, who set out on a boat on an Atlantic voyage, and also encountered mysterious islands. Some of the islands they visit may also have counterparts in Norse seafarer legends.

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and co-founded the ...

(1911) ''In Northern Mists; Arctic exploration in early times''. New York: F.A. Stokes
vol. 1vol. 2
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References

External links

* Summary of the "Imramh Ua Corra", in Eugene O'Curry (1861)
''Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, delivered at the Catholic University of Ireland, during the sessions of 1855 and 1856''
Dublin: Duffy. p.289.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Voyage Of The Ui Chorra Early Irish literature Irish mythology Texts in Irish Voyagers in Celtic mythology Medieval literature Irish books