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

This book details an Irish contribution, largely during the Dark Ages spanning forward through the Carolingian renaissance (yes, Virginia, there was a renaissance before the Italian one, under the leadership of the possibly-illiterate Charlemagne) and still further into the broader re-awakening in western Europe. This was largely achieved because the Irish monastic communities had taken up the task of being the librarians for the world; while most of the west slipped into the Dark Ages and the eastern Empire became less interested in the Europe which was being overrun by barbarians, the Irish, from their position of relative safety on the far coast of Europe, were able to maintain an ordered and stable society which was to keep alive much of the scholarship and learning from the Roman Empire. From the secure island these celtic Christian scholars set forth all over Western Europe to bring learning and knowledge back to the people.

Entertaining, easily readable, full of facts that are often overlooked in more traditional histories which are more concerned with battles and politics than with the history of the preservation of knowledge and learning, this book is a welcome addition to a field in which the lesser known but crucial elements of historical development are beginning to re-emerge. Like all of history, it is not complete -- stay tuned, as they say.


An illuminating document   Décembre 16, 2005
Thomas Cahill has undertaken the project of identifying what he considers to be 'hinge civilisations' or 'hinge event' -- he is planning a series of seven books that focus on relatively obscure contributions to civilisation and history without which everything would be vastly different.

This book details an Irish contribution, largely during the Dark Ages spanning forward through the Carolingian renaissance (yes, Virginia, there was a renaissance before the Italian one, under the leadership of the possibly-illiterate Charlemagne) and still further into the broader re-awakening in western Europe. This was largely achieved because the Irish monastic communities had taken up the task of being the librarians for the world; while most of the west slipped into the Dark Ages and the eastern Empire became less interested in the Europe which was being overrun by barbarians, the Irish, from their position of relative safety on the far coast of Europe, were able to maintain an ordered and stable society which was to keep alive much of the scholarship and learning from the Roman Empire. From the secure island these celtic Christian scholars set forth all over Western Europe to bring learning and knowledge back to the people.

Entertaining, easily readable, full of facts that are often overlooked in more traditional histories which are more concerned with battles and politics than with the history of the preservation of knowledge and learning, this book is a welcome addition to a field in which the lesser known but crucial elements of historical development are beginning to re-emerge. Like all of history, it is not complete -- stay tuned, as they say.