How the Irish saved civilization
Subtitle: the untold story of Ireland's heroic role from the fall of Rome to the rise of medieval Europe
By: Thomas Cahill.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Nan A. Talese, Doubleday
Published: 1995
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 246
Subjects: Learning and scholarship -- History -- Medieval, 500-1500; Civilization, Classical -- Study and teaching -- Ireland; Books -- Ireland -- History -- 400-1400; Manuscripts -- Ireland -- History; Monastic libraries -- Ireland; Transmission of texts -- Ireland; Scriptoria -- Ireland; Ireland -- Civilization -- To 1172; Europe -- Civilization -- Irish influences
Description: From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne - the "dark ages" - learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European continent. The great heritage of western civilization - from the Greek and Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works - would have been utterly lost were it not for the holy men and women of unconquered Ireland.

In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of saints and scholars," the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the west's written treasures. With the return of stability in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning.

Thus the Irish not only were conservators of civilization, but became shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on western culture.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.