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

" This is an excellently written history of Ireland and the Irish people. "

" I learned to love Patrick reading this book, but lost my children and grandchildren in the process. They moved to Galway. So let the reader beware. "

" I had to read this for a quiz in the Medieval European History course I'm taking this semester. Easy & entertaining, although I feel that Cahill sometimes stretches his evidence a bit too much in order to fit his interpretations. Nevertheless, recommended. "

" Fascinating story of the emergence of Europe from the Dark Ages assisted by a few Celtic monks. "

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

" A very interesting book about how groovy the Irish were/are. Got my Irish blood singing! "

" When this book is actually discussing its subjects--late Antiquity, history of the Celts, Irish Catholicism and how it got that way--it's engaging. Unfortunately, just when Cahill starts warming to any of those subjects, he'll jump to a tangent about the "Irish spirit" without ever really explaining what he means by that. His use of "Irish spirit" or "characteristically Irish" reminds me of Humpty Dumpty in Through the Looking Glass: "When I say a word, it means just what I choose it to mean." "

" Really fascinating - covered a lot of history that I wasn't previously acquainted with. Interesting thesis. "

" I liked the writing style of this book, and the story behind the travelling of documents over time was fascinating. I am not usually one to read these little slice of history books, but this one had some appeal to it. "

" As a child, even though my father loved history, I found it rather dry. As an adult, books like this one haved opened my mind to reading history. This is a short book that gives an appreciation for the history that nobody bothered to teach you. "

" I thought that this book was well detailed and throughly written as it explains "How the Irish Saved Civilization". Time well spent! :) "

" Barnes & Noble Sept 2007 "

" Forgot I read this in college until I saw it at the library. Derp! "

" A quick read, concise and full of nuggets, instructive on the transition from late antiquity through the fall of Rome to the early medieval. For history dorks with Celtic blood, it's a must read. "

" A fun read but as a historian I have to take exception to the use of sources. "

" Amazing story! Wish I had read this before our tromp down the coast of Northumbria....! "

" Not something to be proud of. "

" Great review of Eauropean History. Of special interest to those with a Catholic grade school history background. Taught me so much about the fall of the Roman empire and the "dark ages". "

" Little known history, that is well worth knowing "

" I liked how religions, history and societies are intertwined, but I felt that some of his arguments weren't very convincing. I might give it another try some time. "

" I learned, from this book, that Ireland had culture before Sinead. "

" It's an interesting little book that discusses Ireland at about the time of the fall of the Roman empire. For me his argument didn't hold much water, but I still enjoyed reading it and picking up the information it presented. "

" A popular history of the role of Celtic Christians after the fall of classical civilization and before the middle ages. Easy to read, interesting story. Not intended to be a scholarly work but it's fun and will get you thinking a bit about a period of history that's often overlooked. "

" So much better the second time around. Love the Irish! "

" I really love the way Cahill makes history human and immediate; accessible and yet with due respect, and a remarkable acute awareness of the conditions that existed for the human beings of whom he writes. "

" 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. "

" 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 "