Uncovering the Forgotten History: How the Irish Preserved Civilization through the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe

Mathieu Pulfer: This one was recommanded by an Irish tour guide in ireland to get more insights about some points touching the Irish history.
Clearly not disappointed as it provides another interesting point of view

United Kingdom on Nov 01, 2023

Michael Sullivan: Very insightful and entertaining

Australia on Oct 22, 2023

Peter Spung: I began this book before my recent and first trip to Ireland, and finished it after returning. Doing so enriched my visit immensely, opening my eyes to historical and cultural contributions of the Irish to key events, mores, and the written word preserved from antiquity. We owe a lot to the Irish scribes, scholars, monks and warriors who preserved western literature after the fall of the Rome Empire. Several places I visited in Ireland are discussed in the book, making it a goodread for this traveler. Cahill's writing style and storytelling are infectious -- I intend to pursue more of his Hinges of History series.

United States on Sep 23, 2023

SWMBO: I purchased this copy to replace my original copy! Don't you just hate it when people "borrow" books and never return them? The book is excellent and well written. I lowered it a star because of the photos and illustrations. They are blurry to the point of being unreadable! Boo hiss!

United States on Aug 21, 2023

M Clark: Thomas Cahill manages to illuminate the Dark Ages by telling the story of how Christianity came to Ireland and inspired Irish monks to both preserve ancient books and to act as missionaries to Europe. The book begins with a portrait of the Roman Empire shortly before it fell including a sketch of Saint Augustine. It then switches to Briton and to Ireland telling the story of Saint Patrick and how he brought Christianity to Ireland. Cahill makes clear that the Irish Christianity was different and more relaxed than the Christianity that had spread in the Roman Empire. He then talks about how the and why the Irish monks copied so many of the ancient Latin and Greek documents. Finally, he concludes be showing the influence of the Irish missionaries to Europe.

The book is very readable and describes events that I was previously not familiar with. It is strongly recommended to anyone interested in religious history or in the history of the Dark Ages or Middle Ages.

Germany on Aug 21, 2023

Sheila: I loved the title of this book and was led to read it after I visited Tintagel Castle, the Roman remains and Verulamium Museum at St Albans, and also the Roman Wall exhibition near Aldgate, London. My imagination was fired up and once again I longed to find out more about why exactly the Romans left Britain, how the Celtic and Roman Britons left behind felt about it, and about the very first entry of Christianity into the world of the Celtic Britons. So this book seemed to come along at just the right time for me.

I found the first part of the book exactly what I wanted: an exploration of what is known about the departure of the Romans from Britain, and about the fall of the Roman Empire. I was sad to realise that we have very little archival historical evidence at all of what happened in Britain through the 300s and the 400s apart from the writings of St Patrick in Ireland, who lived from approx. 380 to 464, and of Gildas, a British monk who lived from 500 to 570, and De Excidio et Conquesta Brittanniae.
I wondered: was this because Britain fell into complete illiteracy or they were too taken up with fighting off the Picts, the Scots and the Saxons? Or was it because...

United Kingdom on Jul 27, 2023

lg reader: I loved the concept of this book- exploring how Irish monks saved Western Civilization. This book is packed full of great Irish history and one comes away from this book with a profound gratefulness for the deeply spiritual individuals that really did save so much of Western Civilization for us. While I enjoyed the book it was confusing at times since I know nothing about the Irish. My recommendation is to not make this your first book on Irish history. First become familiar with the basic history by reading a book that summarizes all the high points of Irish history to help provide some context before tackling this book. I'm curious to read his other books in the series. I know that the Arabs also saved Western Civilization. It might be fun to read a similar book about their history.

United States on Jun 04, 2023

Mary Ann Tippett: I appreciate the unique historical information this book provides, particularly with respect to literature, consciousness of humanity, religion, Rome's demise, and missionaries. St. Patrick is now my superhero. St. Augustine not so much. As someone who actually chose Philosophy as a second major (aka weirdo), I also adored the philosophical snippets and nods to Plato, Socrates, etc. The spelling out of historical poems and latin verses plus translations were difficult to read and made the long chapters feel longer. I wish the structure of the book had been more approachable. I had to work hard at concentrating to understand everything (not always succeeding), and I have a law degree so I do know how to dissect overly complicated obiter dictum. (I just looked up that word, by the way. It's not something I use in every day conversation. Lol.) I will keep this book on my shelf much as I would a text book for reference, because the breakdown of events/literature/missionaries beginning from 3000BC to present is fascinating in itself.

Canada on Apr 10, 2022

MassReader: What Thomas Cahill has delivered in this small, interesting volume cannot be considered serious history. It's more in the vein of what you might catch on the History Channel: Take a few historical figures, add a dash of overstimulated credulity, and rush it to press.

So, where to begin? There are historical mistakes, presumptions, and misrepresentations on almost every page, so we'll take small representative nuggets.

On page 35, Cahill writes of "the death of the last western emperor in 476." Umm, no. The last emperor was Romulus Augustulus. He was a teenager when we was deposed by Odovacar in 476, and lived on afterward to possibly as late as 507 A.D.

On page 195, amidst a push for female ordination, we find this strange offering: "At Amay in Belgium there was even discovered in 1977 a sarcophagus, ornamented in the Celtic manner and showing the image of a woman (mysteriously labeled 'Saint Chrodoara') who carries a bishop's crozier." Cahill seems unaware that when the leader of an abbey was installed by a bishop, that leader received a copy of the rule, a ring, a pectoral cross, and a CROZIER. The leader of the abbey might be a male abbot, or in the case of...

United States on Jun 29, 2020

R. M. Williams: I've heard much about the book over the years. But it really isn't a period of history that i am particularily interested in, so i never followed up on the hearing about it to buy a copy. So it got into that list of book:"if you trip over a copy, pick it up and read it". It ought to have been in the "must read now" list. I'm sorry i postponed reading it and don't really understand why, i wonder how many other gems i know about but haven't looked at.

sure wish
"God doesn't deduct from man's allotted time, the time spent reading"...but i know better.

IT was a joy to read, from clever word choices to hints of big ideas long suppressed or overlooked in the usual historical textbooks, a hint of esoteric knowledge hidden from mere mortals.

The major themes are probably at least partial true, but after finishing the book, i'm not sure it matters, it is just an engrossing story told by a very competent and interesting storyteller. That is the great strength of the book, it is a tale well and interestingly told.

There is one thing i'd like to specially follow up on in my reading. That is how the Irish "temper" modified the "Roman" and yielded a different kind...

United States on Jan 05, 2006