 Between the fifth and ninth centuries (400–900 AD), numerous communities of monks originating in Ireland (Papar) navigated throughout the north Atlantic in leather boats, exploring and sometimes settling in distant islands where their monastic communities could be separated from close contact with others.Strong indicators exist of their presence in the Faroe Islands and Iceland before the arrival of the Vikings, and medieval chronicles such as the famous "Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot" testify to the extensive interest in exploration at the time.A modern-day trans-Atlantic journey proved the ability of the early navigators to reach all lands of the north Atlantic even further from Ireland than Jan Mayen – and, given favorable winds, at a speed roughly equal to that of modern yachts.