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

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Summary: Chalk one up to the Irish
Review: 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.

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Summary: Jewish girl from PA, a lover of history
Review: I read this book upon hearing it was on the bestseller's list, and now two years later my school had a copy so I decided to pick it up. I picked the book for a project and decided to give it a try. Dispite the fact of not having any Irish heritage or knowledge of Western Civilization (unfortuantly I was going to learn that during the other half of the year) I decided to go through the pages of the unknown wasteland a get a small understanding. I found the book intriguing but it didn't agree with me as much. He did give me a better understanding though the title pushes the book for not much more than getting it off the shelves. Good read! A way to learn something!

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Summary: The most fun I've had with history - ever!
Review: This book is a fascinating and very readable account of an important piece of history. Not only is it information that is omitted in the standard text books, but it is presented in a way that makes you personally involved in the lives and contributions of such men as Saint Patrick. These are living, breathing pages which give dignity and value to a people and a culture that has long been characatured or dismissed. I literally laughed and sighed aloud. This is a must-read for anyone of Irish descent and a very enjoyable look at western culture for anyone else.

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Summary: Island of Saints and Scholars
Review: Everytime I return from Ireland I try to explain that incredible feeling that I was visited by some pre-historic ascetics from the Dingle peninsula who inhabit beehive huts and pray for my salvation. I don't understand it but I like it. On a recent trip I found a great new collection of short stories from one of the newer writers - Ross Brinn. "To the Woods & Waters Wild" is the name of it and it captures that Celtic Twilight that is so intangible. enjoy!

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Summary: Not for highbrow academics!
Review: In its own right Cahill's book is a real gem. I really enjoyed his perspective, humor and even his own personal opinions. It is an interesting read that makes history fun and exciting. Cahill's work does not exist to prove facts, but rather to inform and delight. Gives interesting and unconventional knowledge about Irish history. Who cares if Cahill blatantly comes to his own conclusions. It is a good, brief history -- not a textbook. I read The Gifts of the Jews as well and liked How the Irish...better.

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Summary: Great information but not presented well
Review: I really liked How the Irish Saved Civilization because of the amount of information I was able to get out of it. I read it for a history book review and it helped me on the test over Romans. But I disliked intensely the way the author presented the information as he did not seem to do it chronologically. That really bugged me.

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Summary: a fun dose of propaganda
Review: Cahill makes an interesting thesis, though he strays far from the complexities of medieval Europe. In his simplified and glorified view of the era, some of his history is indeed relevant and a good starting place for someone interested in the era, but a serious or even totally accurate history, this is not. Pity we Irish didn't really have that large a part to play in world history, though we like to think we did!

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Summary: Bad history, bad English
Review: The author overextends himself in his desire to write elegant English, attempting an elegance of which he is incapable. His ignorance extends to basics (he confuses 'imply' and 'infer'). His Latin is equally faulty (his mistranslation of 'molesta'). His interpretation of history is equally faulty ('St Augustine is the father of the Inquisition'). The title of the book deserves better treatment than this pseudo-scholarship. Be advised also that the first 67 pages of this short book have nothing to do with Ireland.

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Summary: Thought-provoking
Review: Can't vouch for the historic accuracy and to say western civilization would have been lost seems quite a stretch, but nonetheless the real value to this work is the subject matter - somethings we take for granted. It is more sermon, but an engaging one especially the contrast of Saints Patrick & Augustine. Very good read!

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Summary: superficial knowlege of the literature and the time
Review: Mr. Cahill's book is very superficial. He does not deal with the real questions and complexities concerning Ireland in this time period. Instead he presents us with vague representations of Augustinian thought, or misrepresentations, and baseless conjectures. His reading of early Irish literature is specious, and shows no real acquaintance with the subject. It is typical that a book like this could become such a bestseller. It tells readers what they want, and requires no real intelligenmce or understanding.