Book summary

The author's graceful mastery of both prose and history combine to express both the voice and content of Irish culture. Cahill traces Ireland's pivotal role in the preservation and transmission of the intellectual legacy of the West, from the fall of Rome under the barbarian invasions that brought the Dark Ages to the rise of Medieval Europe which heralded its re-ascendance. In constructing the narrative that explains how Ireland became "the isle of saints and scholars", the author manages to capture the majestic scope of his subject in the plaintive and yet rollicking rhythms which evoke both the liveliness of Irish culture and its contribution to the era which was to give rise to the Renaissance.

Media reviews

"Mr. Cahill is a man of learning himself, and his writing is in the great Irish tradition he describes; lyrical, playful, penetrating and serious, but never too serious....Mr. Cahill's book will remain an entirely engaging, delectable voyage into the distant past, a small treasure."