How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe

How many of us even had a clue about the pivotal role the Irish played in preserving our history? This book is a delight to read, as Cahill has a way of pulling you in and keeping your interest. I have long been in love with all things Irish, but until this book I had no idea the important part they played in the history of the world. Had it not been for the Irish monks, toiling away in solitude in desolate places, most of the ancient books we have today would have been lost for all time. Cahill's "Hinges of History" series is wonderful reading [I have also read "The Gifts of the Jews" and "Desire of the Everlasting Hills"],even for those who find history to often be dry and dull. He has a way of making the past come to life in a very real way, and even more important, makes it fun. I love his sense of humor. Anyone who wants to see history in a fresh and new way should check him out, and be sure to read this book.

To truly appreciate this book, I suggest becoming familiar with Western Civ, on a first name basis, before reading this. Mr. Cahill doesn't explain who Catullus is to the reader, he just assumes we know. Or Cuculain. Who are both awesome characters by the way. The good about this book: Excellent readability! Just wonderful, modern overview on early church and Irish history. Makes his topic interesting. Honestly, you don't get around to why the Irish saved western civ until the last quarter of the book---but, who cares!? We are having so much fun reading about stuffy old Augustine, or the marvelous character of Saint Patrick himself, to pay much attention. If you have the wee'ist bit of Irish in you, this will make ya proud to have it. It truly glorifies the Celtic race on that little isle of green. I also wanted to mention that his quotations, with Irish poetry thrown in, are delicious. Something unexplored by the modern masses, Irish poetry.... Bad thing about this book: Mr. Cahill LOVES to jump around and go on tangents. I didn't mind it in the least in this book. It makes it easy to pick up and put down if you are doing other things. It is a light read, bring it to the beach or the pool. And you will surely become enlightened and proud! Thank goodness they saved as much as they did! :)

Don't let the overly long title frighten you. This is a mustread! For anyone who cares about the wellspring of our culture, namelythe Greco-Roman tradition, from Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" to Virgil's "Aeneid", from classical mythology to the early versions of the Bible, you need to know the story of how the Irish monks carefully and lovingly preserved these masterpieces after the sack and fall of Rome. & lt;P & gt; Author Thomas Cahill blends his genuine enthusiasm for the Irish with many interesting nuggets of historical scholarship to unravel this obscure period of history. He somehow manages to tie together Ireland's epic "The Tain," the "Confessions" of St. Augustine and the life of St.Patrick himself into a cohesive narrative about how Irish scribes preserved and protected many of our most cherished literary heirlooms. No small feat this, as the monks had to labor by candlelight in such inauspicious places as a stone church on a rocky crag (Skellag Michael) , all the while avoiding piratic raids and marauding Visigoth hordes. fter I read this book, the "Dark Ages" lightened up quite a bit! Now you go read the book and we can join in celebrating the Irish, who saved the seeds of Western thought. Erin go Bragh!

The title of this book is misleading, though not inaccurate. For some reason I assumed the title to be tongue-in-cheek. Some vague kind of Irish humor. I also assumed that the Irish in question were the contemporary Irish, perhaps even Irish Americans. I was pleasantly surprised to be completely wrong. I usually listen to tapes of books that I am mildly interested in and don't want to spend the time and effort to read. This one far exceeded my initial casual interest. It was a joy to listen to and worth sitting down with in print form. The book is a piece of serious history. It focuses on the transition in Europe between the fall of Rome and the early Middle Ages. The story is literally how Irish clerics saved the books and teachings of classical Western civilization, then re-introduced them to Europe after the fall. This is not only a period in history that I am not especially familiar with - I genuinely don't think there's much writing on it (at least not popular historical writing, like this book). The author makes a point that this particular story - of how, well, the Irish saved civilization, is especially downplayed or ignored in part due to who writes most of the history books (such as the English). So I learned quite a bit. Cahill is a great storyteller. I imagine that this will be enjoyable even for people without a particular attraction to history, and certainly to people with no particular interest in Irish history. Again, this is a book worth getting and reading in print form, however the audio version has one advantage - the narration by Donal Donnelly. His rich voice and well-timed delivery was a joy to listen to and kept me driving the long way home so I could hear more of the tape.

Thomas Cahill's "How the Irish Saved Civilization..." is the kind of written history that was born in the oral tradition. This is a book not only scholarly in content, but eminently readable by all. Certainly, it has become a monument to the Irish monks who one can see painstakingly copying the ancient books of the Greeks for posterity. Cahill's recounting of Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, brings this Roman slave's life to the people without compromising his inherent holiness. Thomas Cahill does great honor to his ancestors with his book, a must read for anyone interested in the history of Western Civilization.