Rating: 
Summary: A well written introduction
Review: I found this book to be utterly enjoyable from start to finish. While it should not be considered to be a fully accurate history of Christianity in Ireland, it is a lot better than most "Celtic studies" books that are out there. Cahill takes the facts, the stories, and the rumors of early Celtic Christian days in Ireland and presents them as history using his descriptive and enticing prose. The result is an easy to read, but entirly fasinating picture of Ireland. He focuses on the Celtic Christian monastaries' role in preserving the written documents of Western Civilization and makes a very good case for their role as preservers (savers) of that knowledge. Anyone with any interest in Celtic studies, Christian history, or Western Civilization should read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: This isn't history, it's PROPAGANDA.
Review: And BAD propaganda, to boot.A friend handed me this book, telling me how great it was. The title alone made me suspect heavily what it would really be about. I began reading it, just in case my first impression was wrong... and it WASN'T. The author states an awful lot of half-truths and distorted information - I think that he doesn't name sources just to cover his lies (sorry if it sounds harsh, but that's what I've been taught half-truths are). I've read propaganda books WAY better done than this one. I think that only two groups of people will fall for this book: 1) people who have NO general knowledge of the Middle Ages. 2) people whose nationalistic pride obscures their skepticism and/or reasoning (let me be clear on this: nationalistic pride is good, but not without a limit). In my opinion, this book is not worth the money it costs: as a history book, it's completely worthless; as a propaganda book, is mediocre.
Rating:
Summary: Not Perfect, but Entertaining
Review: As a person of Irish heritage, the title of this book naturally caught my attention. What follows was, for me, a highly entertaining and well-written manuscript about the role of Irish monks in the preservation of western learning after the fall of the Roman Empire, the subsequent dissemination of it. It's not a perfect book; as others have noted, it is silent on the role that other cultures played in preserving and disseminating ancient learning. However, it kept me interested and kept me turning the pages. I would recommend it to any casual student of history.
Rating: 
Summary: Thomas Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization
Review: As a long time admirer of Irish history, I was astonished to discover that the Irish indeed saved literature (including the Greek and Roman classicals) and science/mathematics through their monasteries and even their Green Martyrdom, from Saint Patrick through the monk Columcille who spread the books throughout Europe and was imitating by legions of follower monks including Columbanus. The White Maryrs founded Salzburg and Vienna among many other places. They Irish valued learning like the Jews. They valued open-mindedness to new ideas much more than other narrowly bureaucratic strict clergics, whether when importing ideas from ancient Egypt or from other ancient peoples and not censoring books. Finally, they valued humor (like the Jews). Note carefully, however, that we are talking about the more religious and ascetic Irish people who dedicated their lives to God rather than to materialism or partying. We are not talking about the playboy and not-knowing-what-to-do-with-your-money millionnaires of some modern Irish politicians abroad for whom materialism and sexual escapades are a step backwards toward the collapse of Ancient Rome.
Rating:
Summary: Usual fawning nonsense from the US over things Irish
Review: I thought the book was pretty awful. The content could have usefully have been boiled down to 1 chapter. Why do Americans suspend their commonsense when someone raves on about the Irish? The reality is that the state of civilisation there was even more backward than the rest of Europe during all this time. Some of the old books and learning was preserved there but this was a few monks. Nothing mentioned about the real heroes of the dark ages regarding the subject of preserving the wisdom of the past - the Arabs!
Rating: 
Summary: Typical Western Attitude
Review: Cahill reflects the typical view that has plagued historians for centuries. He places too much value on events in Western Europe, while in reality it was in the East that our heritage was secured. The Irish scholars indeed contributed to monastic exercises, but it was in the forgotten Roman (Byzantine) Empire that our culture was preserved. Is it any wonder that directly after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 the first seeds of the Renaissance were born? Likewise it wasn't at Tours that Christendom was saved, but in the existence of the Byzantines. This book is an interesting exercise, but one that is more misleading than enlightening.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed review
Review: Extremely well written and accurate, for the most part. HOWEVER: cites Gerardus Cambrensis regarding the alleged mating of the O Donnell with a white mare - apparently not aware that G. C. is not credible, his history having been written as an apologetic for his uncle, the first Norman Fitzgerald who needed proof of the "subhuman" status of the Irish to help justify his atrocities. ALSO pushes the Henry VIII compromise: Catholicism with fornication. There is almost no evidence to back up his allegations of sexual looseness during the Golden Age. That came later, after the Vikings destroyed much of the cultural infrastructure, but that is another story and perhaps a different agenda.
Rating:
Summary: How Thomas Cahill Saved History
Review: In my studies of western history, I've always found it frustrating the way many texts jump from 5th Century to 9th without more than a nominal reference to the 400 odd years that fall in between. What about all those years? Were they the boring centuries where not much happened? Why the omission? For any of you who share my frustration, Thomas Cahill has set things right. This book details this transitional period-- more than that, it does a fantastic job. "How the Irish Saved Civilization" is thoroughly readable. Cahill brings an exciting and oft neglected period of history to life. Bravo.
Rating:
Summary: They played a part but was it crucial?
Review: To live up to the title, Cahill would have to answer the following questions? What ancient works were necessary for civilization's rebirth? Did the Irish save these works? Did only the Irish save these works? The crucial works were the writings of Aristotle - which Aquinas studied and reconciled with Christianity. This helped lay the ground work for a renewed respect for the secular and rational. Notice that this influence is absent in the Eastern Orthodox Church. From the renewed influence of reason proceeds the Renaissance and Enlightenment. The works of Aristotle, lost to the west, were reintroduced after the Crusades. Copies were saved in the Mid East, often in Arab hands. The Irish monks contributed and deserve credit - as do many others.
Rating:
Summary: good history
Review: As I read How the Irish saved Civilization, I realized that a big part of history is left out of education in general. Most of the history that I have studied goes from the fall of Rome to Medival times, but does not explain much about what went on between times. Mr. Cayhill's book is a good way to percieve the "in-between" times. I have also recommended this book to several of my friends who homeschool their children, as a school book for post-Rome times. Since the book is very easy to read, I think it would be good for Junior High aged children as a extra corricular or summer reading project.
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