Stories about Hy-Brasil have circulated for centuries — and some even claim to have seen and visited the legendary island off Ireland’s western coast.
Wikimedia CommonsMap of Ireland featuring Hy-Brasil by Abraham Ortelius in the 16th century.
Every seven years, a green wonderland supposedly appears out of the mist off the western coast of Ireland. Rich with forests, gold, and even faeries, the island allegedly lingers for one day before vanishing again. It’s known as Hy-Brasil, and though it seemingly exists only in legend, it appeared as a small, curious smudge on European maps for centuries.
Indeed, Hy-Brasil can be seen on maps starting in the early 14th century, usually positioned just west of central Ireland. Over the centuries, some people even claimed to have visited the island, where they encountered friendly locals, black rabbits, gold and silver, and magical books.
But the island stopped appearing on maps in the 19th century, around the same time that it was reportedly seen for the very last time. Since then, fascination about this mythical place has only grown.
This is the story of Hy-Brasil, the mysterious mythical island near Ireland.
What Is Hy-Brasil? Inside The Legend Of The Mythical Island Near Ireland
Library of CongressA 14th-century map of Europe which appears to place Hy-Brasil just west of Ireland.
Hy-Brasil existed in legend for generations, seemingly named for a legendary Irish king named Breasal. Also known as Hy-Breasal, Hy-Brazil, Hy-Breasil, Brazir, O’Brasil, the Enchanted Island, and the Isle of the Blessed, it’s allegedly located somewhere off the western coast of Ireland.
It first appeared on a map in 1325, when Majorcan cartographer Angelino Dulcert placed an island called “Bracile” just west of Ireland. A century later, Venetian cartographer Andrea Bianco similarly indicated the existence of an island (this time called “Insula de Brasil”) in the same area.
The cartographers seemingly placed the island on their maps because they’d heard rumors of its existence. Indeed, though Hy-Brasil existed in legend as “floating island” that appeared for just one day every seven years, then vanished as anyone tried to reach it, some claimed to have stepped foot on the mythical island. According to Irish Central, some of the earliest accounts come from 5th-century Irish saints, Saint Barrind and Saint Brendan, who both claimed to have seen the island which they called the “Promised Land.”
Public DomainSaint Brendan was associated with the island of Hy-Brasil.
They were hardly the only ones who claimed to have visited Hy-Brasil. Over the following centuries, a handful of others would also provide compelling accounts of reaching the island’s mythical shores.
Sightings Of Hy-Brasil Over The Centuries
Though most expeditions to Hy-Brasil have ended in disappointment, a handful of explorers have, allegedly, reached the shores of this mythical island. That said, some of their stories are more fantastical than others.
According to the Royal Irish Academy, one such encounter with Hy-Brasil occured in the 17th century. In the telling of Roderick O’Flaherty, who wrote about the local history and lore of West Connaught in 1684, a man named Murrough O’Ley went for a walk in April 1668 after a fight with his wife, and was abducted by three men. His abductors took him to an island they called “O’Brazil,” which O’Ley described as similar to the Aran Islands.
Returned unharmed to his home, O’Ley purportedly found that he suddenly possessed an incredible healing ability, despite never studying medicine.
Library of CongressHy-Brasil, just visible beneath the stamp on this 18th century map, has been downgraded to the “Rock of Brazil.”
Shortly thereafter, another alleged encounter with Hy-Brasil took place when a sea captain named John Nisbet came upon the island with his crew. Described in some accounts as Scottish, and in others as hailing from Killybegs in County Donegal, Ireland, Nisbet and his men were sailing from France to Ireland in 1674 when a sudden fog moved in. When the mist lifted, they found themselves dangerously close to an outcropping of rocks.
Nisbet and his crew anchored their ship, and a small expedition rowed to a nearby shore. They allegedly found themselves on Hy-Brasil, where they claimed to have encountered black rabbits, a magician in a castle, and a kind old man who gave them gold and silver.
Though the story of Nesbit’s crew may a fictitious invention, his discovery of the island purportedly prompted a second ship, this one captained by Alexander Johnson, to explore Hy-Brasil. Apparently, Johnson’s men were able to find the island as well and confirm Nesbit’s accounts.
Two centuries later, in 1872, antiquarian and archaeologist T. J. Westrop also allegedly saw the island while sailing with his mother, brother, and several friends. Westrop had reportedly seen the island before, but in this final viewing, he and the other allegedly saw the island “suddenly” appear.
“It was a clear evening, with a fine golden sunset, when, just as the sun went down, a dark island suddenly appeared far out to sea, but not on the horizon,” Westrop stated. “It had two hills, one wooded; between these, from a low plain, rose towers and curls of smoke. My mother, brother, Ralph Hugh Westropp, and several friends saw it at the same time.”
Public DomainT.J. Westropp, an Irish antiquarian and archaeologist who claimed to see Hy-Brasil in the 19th century.
Shortly thereafter, in 1878, the residents of Ballycotton, County Cork also allegedly saw the island. According to a collection of Irish tales put together in 1888 by D. R. McAnally, the residents noticed an island “where none was known to exist.”
McAnally writes: “The men of the town and island of Ballycotton were fishermen and knew the sea as well as they knew the land. The day before, they had been out in their boats and sailed on the spot where the strange island now appeared… the day was clear and the island could be seen as plainly… It was rugged in some parts rocky, in others densely wooded; here and there were deep shadows in its sides indicating glens heavily covered with undergrowth and grasses.”
Around the same time, however, Hy-Brasil began to disappear from maps of Europe. It seemingly last appeared on an 1873 British Admiralty Chart before it vanished back into the mist.
The Legacy Of An Irish Legend
Today, Hy-Brasil is mostly a charming setting for fantasy works, featured in films like Erik the Viking and books like Mary Stewart’s Merlin Trilogy. Elusive, magical, and located on the edge of reality, it’s reminiscent of other “lost” places like Atlantis or the continent of Lemuria.
So what is Hy-Brasil? Maybe the island is a mirage. Maybe adding a fake island was a mapmaker’s trick, to track those who copied them. Or maybe Hy-Brasil exists somewhere off the coast of island, shrouded in mist, except for one day every seven years.
Whatever it is, stories of the “Enchanted Island” help lend a touch more magic to the history of the Emerald Isle.
After reading about the legend of Hy-Brasil, the Irish island that purportedly only appears every seven years, discover the fascinating stories of mythical creatures from Irish folklore. Or, go inside the harrowing story of Loftus Hall, the most haunted mansion in Ireland.
