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

" This book is a must read for anyone who loves books. "

" Christian bias, as is expected, a point about monks preserving roman texts that could have been made in one article. I did learn some from the book, and appreciate hearing about St. Patrick's anti-slavery stance. Still, would appreciate this book to be listed as Christian history, as that's what it seems to be. Esp. considering Cahill's other books. "

" There might be a slight exageration of history here, but its a great read and left me in tears. My favorite part was when the Romans and the Irish meet... "

" Even if you're not a history buff, you might enjoy this book. It's full of entertaining anecdotes about a fascinating time and place. "

" This should at best have been an essay. Very disappointing drawn out and unconvincing. "

" The first in Cahill's Hinges of History series, this book explores the little-known fact that Christian monks in Ireland preserved the great works of Greek and Roman literature in an era when much of the western Roman Empire had lapsed into illiteracy. Later, the books--which were stored in monasteries and libraries across Europe--became the foundation texts of what we now consider Western society. The book's light tone makes it a very easy and quick read, but anyone with a background in this subject area will be disappointed quickly by the book's multiple and egregious historical errors. Muslims and Jews in the East also preserved the books of antiquity, for instance, and who's to say that their copies had less of an influence on the development of "the West" than those of the Irish? Cahill also fundamentally misunderstands (or misrepresents) the relationship between Christianity and Roman society, claiming that Roman society was little changed by Christianity while Irish society was profoundly changed. This is simply not true. Nevertheless, the book is enjoyable and nicely highlights the contributions of Irish women (but not Roman!)--a subject that is perhaps worthy of much fuller exploration. Recommended but with reservations. "

" The Irish monks wrote everything down. A little tedious. "

" This was very interesting and enlightening. Toroughly enjoyed it. "

" st patrick and the monks copied books that help pull europe out of the dark ages (ironically imposed by the catholic church itself). "

" This book is a classic. It is amazing. It makes me want to be Irish. "

" A great discussion of how a small place removed from mainstream Europe was able to preserve some of antiquities most important ideas. And shows how awesome St. Patrick was. "

" every idiot with a shamrock tatoo and a 25% irish backround should be forced to read this book "

" My Irish heritage drew me to this book, but the quality of the writing, and the topic held my interest. The idea that Irish monasteries were the only place where many of the great works of history were preserved during the literary devastation of the middle ages. Well worth a read! "

" entertaining and a good, light, introduction to the subject. It served as a bit of a refresher course. "

" A very good history on the Irish and how they saved civilization by keeping up with scrolls and language after the downfall of the Roman Empire. Very interesting history on an under-rated people. "

" I read this while in Ireland. It really helped me understand this historical time in Ireland and the history of the church. "

" I was really looking forward to reading this book. The title grabbed me immediately, and the premise of the book intrigued me. However, I found the execution to be very meandering. There was a lot of material in this popularized history book that seemed unnecessary to move along the topic. "

" Another excellent book by Cahill. Gives an overview on the transmission, copying, and preservation of sacred texts at the time of the fall of the Roman Empire. Hats off to the Irish! "

" Good and easy reading - nearly popular - about Augustine, the Church and Philosophy in the early MA and especially then looking at Ireland and its religious background and development of monasticism there - which was quite different from that of the Roman Church. Easy re "

" Read this book when it first came out....and would happily read it again. "

" This was the second time I read this and I enjoyed it even more this time than the first! "

" One of the best books I ever read. "

" Read my review of How the Irish Saved Civilization . "

" Mythology, Saints, and good humor; this little history book has it all. It should be a prerequisit for anyone reading Angela's Ashes "

" Very interesting book, wish it was longer. Some ideas in my opinion were exaggerated. It is a wonderfully written book, very interesting, very thought provoking. "

" An easy non-fiction read about the history of the Irish. Starting with the breakdown of the Roman Empire and its culture, the author walks the reader through the events of the centuries before the onset of the Middle Ages. Informative, scholarly, yet entertaining to read. "

" This is one of the best books I've ever read. "

" Jonathan's pick.Cahill's book was a great insight into the reality of the Middle Ages and the importance of the much overlooked role of the Irish in the preservation of Classical material. "

" Listened to this one while commuting. An interesting read and eyeopening about a little know part of our cultural history. The Dark Ages were a scary time...my thanks go out to those Irish Monks for continuing with their craft and education during that period. "

" Drawn out story that makes a grand conclusion based on scant evidence and even weaker argumentation. Helpful as an introduction to medieval history, I suppose. "

" entertaining and a good, light, introduction to the subject. It served as a bit of a refresher course. "

" Fabulous read!! Very entertaining as well as educational. Anyone with an interest in Irish history, Ireland, Celtic peoples history in general will enjoy this read. "

" awesome bit of church history that is often overlooked "