How the Irish Saved Civilization

The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe

By: Thomas Cahill

Narrated by: Donal Donnelly

Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

A book in the best tradition of popular history - the untold story of Ireland's role in maintaining Western culture while the Dark Ages settled on Europe.

Every year millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick's Day, but they may not be aware of how great an influence St. Patrick was on the subsequent history of civilization. Not only did he bring Christianity to Ireland, he instilled a sense of literacy and learning that would create the conditions that allowed Ireland to become "the isle of saints and scholars" - and thus preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians.

In this entertaining and compelling narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, the transition could not have taken place. Not only did Irish monks and scribes maintain the very record of Western civilization - copying manuscripts of Greek and Latin writers, both pagan and Christian, while libraries and learning on the continent were forever lost - they brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task. As Cahill delightfully illustrates, so much of the liveliness we associate with medieval culture has its roots in Ireland. When the seeds of culture were replanted on the European continent, it was from Ireland that they were germinated.

In the tradition of Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, How the Irish Saved Civilization reconstructs an era that few know about but which is central to understanding our past and our cultural heritage. But it conveys its knowledge with a winking wit that aptly captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilization.

©1995 Thomas Cahill (P)1999 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, a Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Cahill's lovely prose breathes life into a 1,600-year-old history." (The Los Angeles Times)

"Charming and poetic...an entirely engaging, delectable voyage into the distant past, a small treasure." (The New York Times)

"Cahill's lively prose breathes life into a 1,600-year-old history." (The Boston Globe)

Awful Narration. Fascinating Book.

If I hadn't already loved this book, the stilted narrator would have destroyed it.

Tales From An Irish Pub

If you could sum up How the Irish Saved Civilization in three words, what would they be?

Irelands been upgraded

What was one of the most memorable moments of How the Irish Saved Civilization?

The vision to save the works, remembering the slow and tedious effort required to make copies.

Which character – as performed by Donal Donnelly – was your favorite?

update later, but certainly St. Patrick.

Any additional comments?

Time well spent learning who were really the righteous brothers and who were the burners

Fascinating Story Well Researched & Read Superbly

This is a story we all should know.

A debt of gratitude is documented to the Irish, some of whom (when later refugees from famine) were greeted with signs stating "NINA" (No Irish Need Apply)

Wow- fascinating and great lessons for today.

Interesting story! Interjected with great lessons for people today about the haves and the have-nots, generosity, culture, how we use our power and wealth. Written in 1995, but definitely still so applicable to current events!

Captivating

This book was unlike any other I have ever read. It told of a story where most believe there is no story. It unabashedly related the history that needs to be told.

Throwback narrator, misleading title

I loved the narrator sounding like how I remember history books on tapes used to, however setting expectations to a more linear “how” description of Irish safeguarding Roman literature is NOT what you get.

Instead, you follow the authors thoughts on Roman vs “uncivilized” capability to write or extemporize in any form not deemed “childlike. The how Christianity was nurtured by the likes of the revolving Catholic Church and eventually taken back to Ireland before the much more hierarchical and structured version of it that we know was formed.

Then, we learn of its hero but not really the STORY of how many volumes came to be in their hands or which monasteries did what. So that it kind of comes out like a fever dream or bed time story rather than a play by play recounting.

It is an interesting story full of great research anecdotes not pertinent to the title, rather this should have been named “why the Irish were the ones who saved Civilization” - the How never appears.

Great story, distracting narration

Would you try another book from Thomas Cahill and/or Donal Donnelly?

Maybe

Who was your favorite character and why?

Augustine

Would you be willing to try another one of Donal Donnelly’s performances?

No. The cadence and parsing didn't seem to fit many of the sentences. I found it helped to turn the speed up to 1.25x, but that was mostly to get through it.

Could you see How the Irish Saved Civilization being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Any additional comments?

It would have been nice to have the chapters of the book match the chapters in Audible.

Great book, lots of fun.

I loved this book and it edified me on so much that I was only vaguely aware. Cahill has a gift for storytelling, melding sometimes confusing and disparate historical details into a unified and entertaining tale. True of not, who knows. TO be honest though, I actually got a lot more from reading this than listening. A bit too much inflection for me to be able to pay close attention to the content. I may give it another chance though, now that I've read it. I do like a bit a the brogue after all. Takes me home.

Hilarious + Profound = Uncanny Irish Narrator*****

Would you consider the audio edition of How the Irish Saved Civilization to be better than the print version?

Yes. The audio edition is much more lively than the print version.

Please be forewarned that listening to the audio version may make you WANT to read the print version.

I recommend listening to the audio edition first; then read the print version.

If you listen to the audio version BEFORE you read the print version, then, when you do read the print version, you will have the benefit of two things going on the same time: (1) your mind silently reading the printed words to you AND (2) your mind recalling Donal Donnelly's lively narration of the same words.

Or, you might prefer to listen and read at the same time.

By contrast, reading the print version BEFORE listening to the audible version does not yield the same benefit. For, you cannot recall a memory that has not yet been formed. It's just not there. Something is missing, even though you don't know what you're missing.

What did you like best about this story?

Two things: (1) the credit given to the Irish for saving civilization; and, more importantly, (2) the portrayal of Saint Patrick as a good Irishman who loses his temper when he sees an injustice -- such as someone defenseless being mistreated.

What about Donal Donnelly’s performance did you like?

The relaxing pace; the Irish brogue; the good humor...funny, fun, informative. Very lively. Very lively indeed!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting? No.

Any additional comments? Not at the moment.

Disappointed

Read this book 15 years ago and liked it very much. Thought it to be a good Audible choice. Found the Donnelly to be difficult to stay focused with. Voice dark, cotton-mouth, sometimes difficult to understand with tendency to offer unnecessary, off-putting "drama" when reading. Would prefer clean, crisp voice to listen to. Would not recommend this to others.