How the Irish Saved Civilization

Bol

'Shamelessly engaging, effortlessly scholarly, utterly refreshing' Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's Ark 'A small treasure' New York Times 'This sweepingly confident overview is more entertainingly told than any previous account' Sunday Telegraph Ireland played the central role in maintaining European culture when the dark ages settled on Europe in the fifth century: as Rome was sacked by Visigoths and its empire collapsed, Ireland became 'the isle of saints and scholars' that enabled the classical and religious heritage to be saved. In his compelling and entertaining narrative, Thomas Cahill tells the story of how Irish monks and scrines copied the mauscripts of both pagan and Christian writers, including Homer and Aristotle, while libraries on the continent were lost forever. Bringing the past and its characters to life, Cahill captures the sensibility of the unsung Irish who relaunched civilisation.

Bol Partner

This narrative tells the story of how Europe evolved from the classical age of Rome to the medieval era. Without Ireland, this transition could not have taken place. Irish monks and scribes maintained records of Western civilization and brought their uniquely Irish world-view to the task. 7-city author tour. 15,000 print.