How the Irish Saved Civilization

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Summary: A wonderful book
Review: What a wonderful Book. I loved it.I bought a copy for my Son,
and he loved it too.

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Summary: Kinda disjointed
Review: There are basically 2 parts to this book, that which is talked about during the time of the roman empire which is(according to this book) a time of peace and enlightenment. Then there is the secound part afterwards where mighty Patrick comes in and with his monks over the centuries saves the world. I hate any book that takes itself too seriously and while I did like this book having "How the Irish Saved Civilization" as your title practically screams it. If you enjoy studying Irish histoty you will enjoy this book.

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Summary: Eminently readable prose about a little known period.
Review: Thomas Cahill is one of those authors who my old history professors used to scorn as "popularizers" of history. My own opinion is that writers such as Cahill do a valuable service to the study of history if their books excite readers to go and learn more about the era they write about. In this regard I would say that Cahill is every bit as successful as the late Barbara Tuchman. Cahill is a natural storyteller who brings his subjects to life through vivid retelling of their stories and deeds.
After reading this book I was inspired to learn more about several themes mentioned in the book, among them the Celtic civilization of early Ireland, the facts and legends surrounding the life of Saint Patrick, the history of the spread of Christianity across northern Europe after Rome's fall, and the later Viking invasions that halted the "Irish renaissance" by destroying many of their monasteries. While I am sure a "specialist" historian of the period might be able to find some minor flaws in the book, the bottom line is that Cahill sets forth a coherent and readable account of how much of the writing of the classical world was saved through the intervention of the Irish Christians. This is a deed little known by the average person and Cahill has done a valuable service with his creditable and interesting account of this period in history. I highly recommend this book, and am eagerly looking forward to checking out some of his other "Hinges of History" volumes.

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Summary: A Disorganized Rendering of an Inspiring Tale
Review: 'How The Irish Saved Civilization' is the tale of how Irish Monks preserved the culture of the Roman Empire during the roughly century and a half after the Fall of The Roman Empire in the West.

The basic premise of the book is that at the same time that the barbarian hordes were destroying the culture of Rome, classical civilization was first being introduced to Ireland, where it would be preserved beyond the reach of the invading marauders.

The Irish monks spent centuries copying books, thereby preserving classical texts which had ceased to exist on the continent. Ultimately, the successors of these Irish Monks would emigrate to the continent. By carrying their books to their newly established continental monasteries they restored the basis of classical civilization and thereby enabled the evolution of Medieval Civilization.

Cahill devotes much of the early part of the book to describing what was lost. He does this by focusing on, perhaps, the last classical man, St. Augustine. He then contrasts the classical civilization of St. Augustine with the barbaric culture of Celtic Ireland.

Much of the book is devoted to the lives of two contemporary giants who probably never heard of each other, Sts. Augustine and Patrick. Whereas Augustine represented a dying culture in need of preservation, Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland, where it took root and, beyond the reach of the Invading Barbarians, was preserved for future generations.

For over a century, Christianity survived by clinging to rocks such as Skellig Michael off the Coast of Ireland. During this time Christianity was reshaped by its Hibernian exile.

As interested as I am in Irish History, I found this book to be a bit disappointing. The extensive writing on St. Augustine and St. Patrick seem, while interesting in themselves, as not contributing particularly to the overall story of the book.

This book is largely a collection of stories which get the main idea across with a somewhat discoordinated writing style.

Overall, this book is a fair introduction to the Irish contribution to the interim period between the Classical and Medieval Ages.

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Summary: History comes alive!
Review: Cahill exposes truth that has been buried under layers of stereotyping and surface examinations of the Irish role in world history. He peels the veil back from the fall of the Roman Empire and the expansion of the "barbarian" culture to beautifully entangle the Irish into the very survival of our culture as we know it in the Western world.

From the culture of the cities of Carthage, Rome, Taranto, Paris, Salsburg, and accross the lands of Europe, Cahill illuminates the Irish influence and with it the Christian centrality of the strength that was offered to Europe.

This book was much more than I expected it to be. It was drama, it was gripping, it was empowering, and best of all it is non-fiction . . .actual history. A story that needed to be told!

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Summary: History at its best
Review: As a student of history (both at university and on my own), I often find historical books dry and inaccessible. "How the Irish Saved Civilization" is neither. Cahill's prose is lyrical, his research is thorough, and his conclusions illuminate a long-neglected piece of history that defintely deserves the spotlight.

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Summary: Is this history?
Review: While Cahill seems to have had noble intentions in the writing of this book and begins the book with an introduction in which he objects to history that is prejudicial against certain groups (in particular the Irish and Catholics), I was disappointed to see his own work marred by his own unhistorical and anti-Catholic attitude. Good examples of his attitude are shown in his attitude towards sexuality and gender, both the sexuality and gender of Catholics and of the Ancient Romans. As to the Catholics, he comments that the Catholics in Europe would have been shocked by women ruling over abbeys of men and women. However, there were such abbeys throughout Europe in the middle ages. It was the rebirth of Roman Law in the late middle ages and Renaissance that changed this (cf. Regine Pernoud, Women in the Days of the Cathedrals). As for the Romans, while certainly they were misogynistic, they were not Victorian prudes. Ancient Roman and Greek culture were filled with rather shocking (by modern standards) sexual practices that were certainly not surpassed among the early Irish. It was immensely disappointing to find a "historian" who claimed to be speaking for the minority that fell so dogmatically into the habit of rewriting history. I have numerous other examples from his work, but little space or time to go into them all.

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Summary: Very interesting history
Review: I was thoroughly intrigued by this book and loved learning about Saint Patrick and other tidbits of information I had heard only passing bits about. This book got me interested in researching Irish history a little bit more and of course eventually I ended up reading Angela's Ashes. I highly recommend this work to anyone with an interest in history, my only negative comment comes from reading the next two in the series, Gift of the Jews and Desire of the Hills and finding that the second two are more "readable" than the first. I can't wait untill Cahill writes the next in his Hinges of History series as I definately plan on getting anything he writes.

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Summary: How I learned to love being Irish
Review: What a wonderful book, and a truly delightful performance of the written word! The thoroughness of coverage of the "pre-history" of Ireland, the explanation of the connection to the Greco-Roman world, the extensive references to classic and modern literature, what a great way to learn about Irish history!

Growing up 3rd generation Irish American meant that I always think of myself as far more American than Irish. I was often embarrassed by the stereotypical "green beer drinking St. Paddy's Day oaf" I associated with being Irish American. I knew little of my heritage, except that we were in the U.S. thanks to the great potato famines, and the dire poverty and oppression my great grandparents experienced. Not a history I was eager to learn more about- too dark and depressing! My mother and father are both dead now, and I unfortunately do not even know what county we hailed from. I used to be jealous of my Italian and Jewish friends, thinking that theirs were so much more interesting and varied cultures. This book taught me how wrong I was; from the stories of Maeve abd Dierdre (my maternal great-grandmother's namesake) and the Toyne, to the "truth" about St. Patrick, and the contribution the religous scribes made to the western world; I was amazed and thrilled by the heritage that I am now proud to claim. I can't wait to read more like it.

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Summary: Excellent Book on Cassette
Review: Clark Kent saves the world as Superman but Clark gets none of the recognition. The Irish save Western Civilization but their role has been forgotten. Thomas Cahill argues that many historians fail to give full weight to the Irish for their contribution in world history. This is because the greatest contribution of the Irish came in what Cahill calls the hinges or transitions of history. According to the author the Irish Celts and Catholics made a contribution that European civilization depended on. The book is a brief study of Europe's transition from the Roman to the medieval age, and the role of the Irish in this hinge point. His thesis contends that without the monks and scribes of Ireland, this critical transition would have been impossible. Cahill convincingly demonstrates, through fascinating historical narrative, that the Irish contribution has significantly shaped the history of the world.

The author begins with the fall of the Roman Empire and its ramifications. He then goes back to investigate the early history of Ireland through the transforming work of St. Patrick. Next, he looks at the Irish priests, monks, scribes, and missionaries who build on the foundation of Patrick to lay their own foundation for future generations. Finally, he shows how these holy men and women's contributions provided the avenue for western civilization to develop. Cahill concludes by giving the reader his own interpretation of lessons to be learned for the day in which we find ourselves. Along the way, we meet many interesting characters, hear numerous tales of various sorts, and gain insight into western history and western civilization.

Thomas Cahill has contributed a valuable link to the world of St. Patrick and the Irish. He writes with an intriguing, exciting, and captivating style. The listener must leave behind any notions of history being boring. Often he slips into the historical event being reported in order to demonstrate through his characters what it would have been like to be a part of the event. Cahill presents history in an intriguing and playful way. A general knowledge of history and western civilization would be helpful, but the book is designed to appeal to a wide audience. The sexual references and imagery could be offensive to some reader sensibilities.

I both read the book and listened to the cassettes. The narration with the Irish accent of Liam Neeson made a great book even better. Excellent book on cassette!