How the Irish Saved Civilization

Unabridged
Author: Thomas Cahill
Narrator: Donal Donnelly
Genres: History
Publisher: Random House (Audio)
Date: October 2003
Length: 8 hours
Ratings:
Formats:
  • CD

Overview

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.

From the Hardcover edition.

Reviews (3)

How the Irish Saved Civilization

Written by Cathleen Geysen on March 15th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 1/5

This CD just rambled on with the most boring information. I kept hoping that it woudl get better- but it didn't. The only thing of value that I got from it was this statement. Freud said he wouldn't even try to analyze the mind of an Irishman.. I needed that laugh!

Interesting take

Written by Anonymous from Maryville, TN on October 31st, 2006

  • Book Rating: 4/5

Cahill's pro-irish, pro-Catholic sentiments bleed through, but the overall message, that the classic Latin literature would not have survived without Irish monk-scribes is presented with an entertaining potpourri of native Irish literature and a worthwhile chronology of the development of Ireland from the Celts to the 19th century.

Great learning

Written by Robert Weir on January 16th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 4/5

I'm not Irish and think that many who are reading this book might be. However, I REALLY got alot out of this book. It started off a little slowly but enlarged my knowledge of history and the contributions of the Irish. It is a truly amazing story.

Author Details

Author Details

Cahill, Thomas

"Thomas Cahill is the author of the bestselling books, How the Irish Saved Civilization, The Gifts of the Jews, and Desire of the Everlasting Hills, comprising Volumes I, II, and III respectively of the prospective seven-volume The Hinges of History series. A lifelong scholar, Thomas Cahill has studied with some of America's most distinguished literary and biblical scholars.

Born in New York City to Irish-American parents and raised in the Bronx, he was educated by Jesuits and studied ancient Greek and Latin. He continued his study of Greek and Latin literature, as well as medieval philosophy, scripture, and theology, at Fordham University, where he completed both a B.A. in classical literature and philosophy, and a pontifical degree in philosophy. He went on to complete his M.F.A. in film and dramatic literature at Columbia University. He studied scripture at New York's Union Theological Seminary, and recently spent two years as a Visiting Scholar at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, where he studied Hebrew and the Hebrew Bible in preparation for writing The Gifts of the Jews. He also reads French and Italian. In 1999, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Alfred University in New York.

Thomas Cahill has taught at Queens College, Fordham University, and Seton Hall University, served as the North American education correspondent for The Times of London, and was for many years a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times Book Review. Prior to retiring recently to write full-time, he was Director of Religious Publishing at Doubleday for six years. He and his wife, Susan, also an author, founded the now legendary Cahill & Company, whose Reader's Catalog was much beloved in literary households throughout the country. They divide their time between New York and Rome. Cahill is currently working on the fourth volume of The Hinges of History series, which explores the glories of Greek civilization."