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How the Irish Saved Civilization

The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe

by Thomas Cahill

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.

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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."    -- Richard Bernstein

   -- New York Times

"...he has written a bracing book, brimming with freewheeling learning and unbridled enthusiasm. Professional historians might occasionally blanch at his exuberance, but his readers will revel in his deft and casual storytelling."    -- Peter Finn

   -- New York Times Book Review

"A lovely and engrossing tale....Graceful and instructive."    -- Richard Eder

   -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Cahill's lively prose breathes life into a 1,600-year-old history."

   -- Boston Globe

Bibliographic Details

Publisher: Anchor Books
Published date: 1996
Size: 5.5 x 8 inches
Weight: 0.5 pounds

Publisher's Notes

The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift, and a book in the best tradition of popular history -- the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe. Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars" -- and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians. In this entertaining and compelling narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization -- copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost -- they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task. As Cahill delightfully illustrates, so much of the liveliness we associate with medieval culture has its roots in Ireland. When the seeds of culture were replanted on the European continent, it was from Ireland that they were germinated. In the tradition of Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, How The Irish Saved Civilization reconstructs an era that few know about but which is central to understanding our past and our cultural heritage. But it conveys its knowledge with a winking wit that aptly captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilization.

Other Editions

• Hardcover Illustrated - Bantam Dell Pub Group (1995) - from $1.00
• Paperback - Random House Inc (1996) - from $1.00

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