Rating: 
Summary: St. Patrick Saves the World.
Review: Thomas Cahill describes Ireland as a cold, drab Island on the fringes of the Roman Empire. It was so small and pathetic that it wasn't worth conquering. Yet, because of these facts, Ireland would eventually play a key role in preserving most of Latin history. Sometimes it seems, it is good to be ignored.One of the first consequences of Ireland's obscurity was that its past and its history were better preserved then most other places. Outside of Jewish History, Mr. Cahill claims that Ireland has the oldest history in the West. After a detour in Roman culture, Mr. Cahill begins the heart of this book discussing a poem he calls the Irish Iliad, a story of courage, love, romance and ancient Irish virtues, called the "Tain Bo Cuailnge" This poem is interesting, if it reveals the ancient Irish mind. In the Iliad, for example, almost everything that happened, happened because a god was involved. For example, when Paris was asked to judge a beauty contest he chose one Goddess more than two others, he was awarded and cursed for his decision, with Helen of Troy. The Trojan War had begun. In Ireland, the Tain Bo Cuailnge" begins with a domestic dispute between a husband and wife who are also a king and queen. He says she is "much better off" today "then the day I married you. (p.71) She disagrees, and the poem and this war are off. From the parts of "Tain Bo Cuailnge" that Mr. Cahill reveals, we get a glimpse into ancient Irish life. What a life it was! For example, The Irish "stripped before battle and rushed their enemy naked" except for their weapons and shoes. (p.82) In battle their heroes would go into a "warp-spasm," an almost total loss of control of their bodies, which would be jerking and contorting so violently that it would be painful to watch. Even their gods were unstable. They were shape-shifting creatures which could transform from hawk to boar to bird. (p.129) Other Irish customs both strange and strangely modern included "trial marriage" of one year, mating with a horse when one became King or a wide tolerance of homosexuality between warriors. (p.135) Most of all, to the author Tain Bo Cuailnge reveals the Irish respect for women. Earlier then most, Mr. Cahill believes the Irish women were given more rights then most. Since I have read books claiming that the Babylonian and Romans could make this same claim it is hard for me to judge Mr. Cahill's assertions accurately. From these origins, Mr. Cahill goes on to discuss how St. Patrick, a pathetic slave stolen from the shores of England would become a Shepard in Ireland, a refugee, a discontent person returned to his home land, a priest, a missionary to Ireland, and a saint. The Irish, apparently, took to Christianity because of St. Patrick. But, they became different sorts of Christians then their Roman or Byzantium counterparts. They were happy evangelists. While Rome was falling, Irish priests were reading, writing, and preserving, preserved much of the Roman works which were being destroyed. Some priests, hearing of Ireland, took a few books and fled there. By this time, however, the Irish were already spreading their religion to Scotland, England, and eventually Continental Europe. Thus they were able to reintroduce much of the work and some of the religion that had been lost a hundred years prior. Eventually, however, the Irish again became an outpost on the edge of Civilization. The English came in and colonized their land, but were unable to change the Irish people. The spirit of the Tain Bo Cuailnge still lived. Mr. Cahill has a poem written in by a bereaved widow which he compare to the Tain Bo Cuailnge. The comparisons are striking. I will give you the end, only. My rider of the bright eyes, What happened to you yesterday? I thought you in my heart, When I bought you your fine clothes, A man the world could not slay. Isn't that nice? Perhaps, when the world falls again, Mr. Cahill states that this tiny Island may be able to save some of its best parts again. It is hard to rate this book fairly. As a history of Ireland, it was interesting. It is filled with poems and philosophy so, if you like that, you will really enjoy this book. I really enjoyed some of the poems so I was willing to overlook some of this book's blemishes. I also greatly appreciated a dip into Irish history and the stories of St. Patrick. I would imagine that, if you are a more serious history reader, you may be disappointed. If you aren't, this book is a fun read.
Rating:
Summary: From a few wandering monastics
Review: Thomas Cahill returns us to the definition of "civilization" we acquired in our schoolrooms. Civilization originates in the Mediterranean basin when agrarian peoples became urbanized, militarized city-states. Spreading from Babylon through Greece, thence to Rome, "civilization" become a European phenomenon. With empire came wealth, stability and leisure, and the emergence of literature. Literature is Cahill's theme in presenting both his concept of civilization and how a remote island restored it to a devastated continent. Cahill opens his story with the wealthy Roman poet Ausonius in a Gallic villa, musing on the pleasures of life in a stable empire. Stability is an illusion. Barbarians have infiltrated the Empire's borders or overrun them by onslaught. Within a brief lifetime all that Ausonius has known will become chaos as the empire is fragmented and reduced. All that remains is the tenuous network of Christian adherents spread across the crumbling remains of Rome's imperial breadth. When these gathered into communities, learning, teaching, recording, they formed a nucleus for the restoration of literacy. As the empire contracted, little enclaves of oral traditions remained in place. Of these, according to Cahill, Ireland was the strongest. Although beset by countless internal conflicts, Ireland's traditions remained respected by all - even those contending for tiny kingdoms. Into this arena entered a former slave of the Irish, Patricius. A half-hearted Christian turned evangelist, Patricius founded numerous bishoprics across Ireland, laying the foundation for a string of monastic orders. Combining Irish oral tradition with remnant literacy, the monks began founding a new wave of monasteries, first in Britain, then across Europe. In this way learning was kept alive and Christianity redeemed what had been destroyed by the invasions. A foundation for a new civilization had been established. Cahill, admitting that a true account of Patricius' life is difficult to assemble, still provides us a picture of a man of strong faith and dedication. The Irish environment was a challenge to a man of peace, but Patricius seems to have accomplished the near-impossible. The Irish began to settle down, making Patricius' task rewarding instead of just onerous. Ireland became the only nation in which Christianity was established without the blood of martyrs. Given Ireland's past history, this seems an implausible claim, but Cahill puts it forth confidently. Cahill's style in presenting this story is unimpeachable. He's a convincing writer, even if his view of civilization is limited. His ability to establish a compelling environment for the life of Patrick and his success is a challenge to other historians. In order to accomplish his task in so few pages is a testimony to his talent. More importantly, Cahill has proposed a novel theme, changing the consensus of history's view that a slowly recovering economy brought about Europe's restoration. It's a valuable idea, presented plausibly.
Rating: 
Summary: Incoherent
Review: The subject had great promise. The author is witty. The presentation was poorly organized. He couldn't maintain even a semblance of chronological order. At one point he claims all of the libraries of Greek and Roman culture had been destroyed. Still, he has Irish monks copying books on the continent (one and two centuries later) without explaining where they found the books to copy. So much of the material was extraneous that I got the feeling he was padding. This reached its height when he offered a long passage from Plato, warning in advance that the reader would probably find it abstruse and suggesting it might be a good idea to just skip the passage. I did, wishing eventually that I had skipped everything beyond the introduction.
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Summary: How the Irish Saved Civilization
Review: I am glad to see that there were others who actually found the book entertaining. My father gave me the book for Christmas and, since I am part Scotch-Irish and visited Ireland with my father, the title looked inviting. However, Thomas Cahill wandered all over the place with this book. Another review that said 40 pages crammed in to 240 pages (or something like that) is probably the best description. If I wasn't so determined, I would have quit reading this book after 48 pages (which I almost did). I don't think I will be picking anything up by Thomas Cahill in the near future.
Rating:
Summary: 40 interesting pages crammed into 246.
Review: My tendency in reviewing is to focus on the negative, so let me make it clear up front that I really enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down. I am not really that much of a history buff, so to say that I enjoyed it and learned a lot from it is great praise. It fills in things that I missed or forgot in my formal education about the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the middle ages. In short, the book is about how, when books were being destroyed all over Europe during the middle ages, Irish monasteries preserved the world's knowledge in their distant, hard-to-reach locations. Unfortunately, I don't think it took 246 pages to say this. The author drifts off onto topics that seem to bear little relevance to the premise of the book. For example, he spends a lot of time talking about Augustine and quouting epic poetry. As a consequence, I'm left with the feeling that the author was merely padding out the material to make it book-length. I wish I could give half-stars. The material on "how the Irish saved civilization" was at least four stars, but padding the book with fluff makes it lean toward three. I'd give it three-and-a-half.
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Summary: This book is worth every second and penny and more
Review: My grandfather had this book in his collection and I wanted to read it, but didn't because he has such a fascinating collection and we were only there for a few days. Besides, he gave me, to keep, another wonderful book! I wrote down the name and author and intended to read it, but give me a break, I was sixteen and do you know how much homework highschool teachers give. Actually that is not entirely valid, but I was busy. But then, in my elective -by-the-by- history class - I love history - I had an assignment to read and evaluate one book from a list. That list had everything and I was in seventh heaven - and the pits of hell because I couldn't decide on one - and on it was this book. Well that answered my question. I read it and it is wonderful. Sure I'm part Irish - and Italian and I warn you it is not a good combination - and I am fascinated by all things Irish. In reading this, I got a scholary and lighthearted view of history - just the kind I like - read the book we Irish have to look at everything from a humorous point of view. Anyway, Cahill made the story personal. That is how all history should be because it is - about people, therefore personal. He presented it in an easy to understand and believeable point of view. He fills it with his own view point and is entirely honest. He describes civilization as energy and it is with energy that he tells of its being saved. He doesn't just tell you how, but also what civilization is, why it is endangered, and why the Irish - gotta love 'em - are the only ones who could manage to do it and do it right. That done, I better get back to writing my essay on it that is due first thing tomorrow.
Rating: 
Summary: Irish, Europe and Culture
Review: The book was recommended to me by a friend who knows about my interest in Philosophy and European culture. It is a brief book that gives to the point information about fall of Roman Empire, rise of Christianity in Europe and insight about Irish culture of the time. Interesting Irish folktales, traditions and mentality have certainly influenced the was that Irish, in their own way ave saved European civilization. Good read, but more interested reader would want to know more...
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Summary: But the Irish didn't save civilization!
Review: This book wasn't quite what I had expected when I picked it up: an essay on Christianity in the early middle ages on the fringes of Christendom. I was pleasantly surprised nonetheless. The book moves at a good pace, it is historically accurate, and is informative without being dry. The tale of how exactly the Irish saved civilization really revolves around what else was going on in Europe as the last vestiges of the Roman Empire in western Europe crumbled. Cahill does a masterful job of retelling the role Irish monks played in preserving "knowledge." His conclusion was especially good. My only bone of contention is Cahill's assertion that it was the Irish who saved civilization - as if the Byzantines and Moslems had nothing to do with the "preservation" (let alone the advancement) of "civilization." His equation of western Christendom with civilization is a point that I heartily disagree with.
Rating:
Summary: Remarkable Contributions
Review: You will be disappointed if you read this book as a history text. Instead, its value lies in the colorful and entertaining way in which Cahill dramatizes the remarkable contributions of St. Patrick and the Medieval Irish monks. Cahill is a very insightful writer. His description of the many parallels between the falling Roman Empire of the early fifth century and the United States of the early twenty-first century is alone worth the price of the book.
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Summary: Should be titled "Christianity Reintrepreted -Irish Version"
Review: Frankly, this book is mis-titled. Cahill's fascination with the "librarian" role of the Irish seems blatantly over-estimated. Hyperbole to this extent becomes quaint. The value of Cahill's work is in the last half of the book. Here he turns his attention to what might be called "Celtic Christianity." Without defending every exaggeration of Cahill's imagination, he writes something worth serious consideration on this subject. Roman Christianity (a la Augustine) equated sin with sexuality. Platonic elements that exalted heavenly ideals also demeaned earthly joys. Who has not felt the frustration with Church that is so "heavenly-minded it's of no earthy good?" In opposition to this so-called "Roman" perspective, Cahill presents the Celtic Christianity of Patrick. This faith was something new, the first inculturation of Christianity to occur in centuries without Greek and Roman influence. "For God's pleasure and man's are reunited, and earth is shot through with flashes of heaven...." "...the belief grew strong that the one thing the devil cannot bear is laughter." Celtic Christianity, as seen through the pen of Cahill, is definitely a faith with dirty feet. Western civilization, and western Christianity, rests on Greek and Roman foundations. Read this book, not as serious history, but in hope that Cahill's imagination will spark your own. Perhaps the abundant life promised by Jesus has been misunderstood by us all!
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