--- product_id: 1213049 title: "How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (The Hinges of History)" price: "564957₫" currency: VND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.vn/products/1213049-how-the-irish-saved-civilization-the-untold-story-of-irelands store_origin: VN region: Vietnam --- # How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (The Hinges of History) **Price:** 564957₫ **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (The Hinges of History) - **How much does it cost?** 564957₫ with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vn](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/1213049-how-the-irish-saved-civilization-the-untold-story-of-irelands) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description NATIONAL BESTSELLER • 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. • The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift! 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. Review: Fast, fascinating read that shines a light into an un-looked into corner of our history. - How the Irish Saved Civilization Thomas Cahill published this slender essay in 1995. It stayed on the New York Times best seller list for two years, which gives us a reason to read it. Other reasons abound. Cahill has an accomplished background in the ancient languages of Latin and Greek. He spent two years studying Hebrew and theology at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He also reads English, Italian and French, more modern languages. Cahill must be considered a complete and focused scholar. He has taught at several famous colleges and universities. His style is fluid and erudite without being pretentious and never becomes boring. This volume begins a so far six volume series he calls 'The hinges of History Series', all works on key elements of Western Civilization. In “How the Irish Saved Civilization” he outlines the Western World as it existed around the year 400, its political structure, its religious basis in its magnificent achievements literature and philosophy. Then he shows us how this world disappeared under the waves of the Barbarian invasions. Literacy declined, books vanished into the fires of illiterate warriors and cities empties. The Dark Ages overcame classical civilization. But in Ireland there was no fall. It had never been built up in the first place. The Irish squabbled happily among themselves, content with their bards and poets. Saint Patrick changed all that with his missionary conversion of the Irish. They took to Christianity at once, and once introduced to the idea, became not just literate but scholarly. Isolated monks gathered here and there to pray and study. And to copy. They had a fierce delight in the written word. Most importantly, they copied everything they could get their hands on from saintly lives to the works of Livy. A generation later, the monkish monasteries began to send out missionaries of their own. They colonized first Scotland then Northern England, planting monasteries in their mode, complete with scriptoriums. In another generation, Irish monks spread across Europe founding astonishing numbers of monasteries. Irish monk-scholars popped up everywhere, in France, in Germany, in the Alps and all the way to Italy. Some of the most famous and important monasteries in Europe were founded by Irish holy men. And in every one of these dozens, scores of holy retreats, young monks copied madly everything that they could get their hands on. Without the holy dedication and patience of these men much of the ancient lore of the classic age would be forever lost, as much was in spite of their efforts. This book, for all of its scholarly intent, is a fast read. And a fascinating one. Review: a bypassed gem - 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 of Christianity as the Irish monks carried their books back into Europe. This is the theme of Celtic Christianity that i see occasionally as i browse bookstores for the new and interesting. The problem, for me, is that it is a nearly cultic topic that consists of a lot of trash to be waded through to find the gems. So like the best of books, it engrosses and allows you to loose yourself in the reading and causes new ideas to bubble up and supply incentive to go to the library and get more. My highest recommendation which is "give to the wife and tell her to read it"..... one of the very best things about desertcart reviews are emails from people who read the review. i received an interesting note about this review and thought i'd include my response to it here, so i edited the review and added to it. this is not an historical epoch i am particularly well read in. which is why i didn't spend time talking about the historical facts but rather spoke about style and how i was effected by the book. to see if the book is historical fiction or good history writing is beyond both my abilities and my current interests. at this point, i'm content to classify it as a jolly good read and move on to the next book in my TBR pile. did the Irish save civilization? i don't know. does it matter? history interests me yet isn't always a definitive subject like physics. there is more than a little room for interpretation. what is best about the book is the style and engrossingly interesting reading. to understand the issues will require several more books that concentrate on the details of the issues and not, like this book, on convincing people of the big issue. thanks for reading the review. and please share anything about the book to rwilliam2@yahoo.com subject book reviews (to get past spam filters) especially about my research question above concerning celtic christianity and how it might differ from the more intellectual roman variation that won the day. ## Features - Thomas Cahill, How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe, paperback ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #18,444 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #31 in History of Christianity (Books) #34 in History of Civilization & Culture #42 in Christian Church History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,396 Reviews | ## Images ![How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (The Hinges of History) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Q9fTLR4KL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fast, fascinating read that shines a light into an un-looked into corner of our history. *by A***Y on March 28, 2015* How the Irish Saved Civilization Thomas Cahill published this slender essay in 1995. It stayed on the New York Times best seller list for two years, which gives us a reason to read it. Other reasons abound. Cahill has an accomplished background in the ancient languages of Latin and Greek. He spent two years studying Hebrew and theology at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He also reads English, Italian and French, more modern languages. Cahill must be considered a complete and focused scholar. He has taught at several famous colleges and universities. His style is fluid and erudite without being pretentious and never becomes boring. This volume begins a so far six volume series he calls 'The hinges of History Series', all works on key elements of Western Civilization. In “How the Irish Saved Civilization” he outlines the Western World as it existed around the year 400, its political structure, its religious basis in its magnificent achievements literature and philosophy. Then he shows us how this world disappeared under the waves of the Barbarian invasions. Literacy declined, books vanished into the fires of illiterate warriors and cities empties. The Dark Ages overcame classical civilization. But in Ireland there was no fall. It had never been built up in the first place. The Irish squabbled happily among themselves, content with their bards and poets. Saint Patrick changed all that with his missionary conversion of the Irish. They took to Christianity at once, and once introduced to the idea, became not just literate but scholarly. Isolated monks gathered here and there to pray and study. And to copy. They had a fierce delight in the written word. Most importantly, they copied everything they could get their hands on from saintly lives to the works of Livy. A generation later, the monkish monasteries began to send out missionaries of their own. They colonized first Scotland then Northern England, planting monasteries in their mode, complete with scriptoriums. In another generation, Irish monks spread across Europe founding astonishing numbers of monasteries. Irish monk-scholars popped up everywhere, in France, in Germany, in the Alps and all the way to Italy. Some of the most famous and important monasteries in Europe were founded by Irish holy men. And in every one of these dozens, scores of holy retreats, young monks copied madly everything that they could get their hands on. Without the holy dedication and patience of these men much of the ancient lore of the classic age would be forever lost, as much was in spite of their efforts. This book, for all of its scholarly intent, is a fast read. And a fascinating one. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ a bypassed gem *by R***S on January 5, 2006* 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 of Christianity as the Irish monks carried their books back into Europe. This is the theme of Celtic Christianity that i see occasionally as i browse bookstores for the new and interesting. The problem, for me, is that it is a nearly cultic topic that consists of a lot of trash to be waded through to find the gems. So like the best of books, it engrosses and allows you to loose yourself in the reading and causes new ideas to bubble up and supply incentive to go to the library and get more. My highest recommendation which is "give to the wife and tell her to read it"..... one of the very best things about amazon reviews are emails from people who read the review. i received an interesting note about this review and thought i'd include my response to it here, so i edited the review and added to it. this is not an historical epoch i am particularly well read in. which is why i didn't spend time talking about the historical facts but rather spoke about style and how i was effected by the book. to see if the book is historical fiction or good history writing is beyond both my abilities and my current interests. at this point, i'm content to classify it as a jolly good read and move on to the next book in my TBR pile. did the Irish save civilization? i don't know. does it matter? history interests me yet isn't always a definitive subject like physics. there is more than a little room for interpretation. what is best about the book is the style and engrossingly interesting reading. to understand the issues will require several more books that concentrate on the details of the issues and not, like this book, on convincing people of the big issue. thanks for reading the review. and please share anything about the book to rwilliam2@yahoo.com subject book reviews (to get past spam filters) especially about my research question above concerning celtic christianity and how it might differ from the more intellectual roman variation that won the day. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The title does justice *by E***N on January 12, 2026* Fantastic deep dive into pre and early Christian Ireland. The author does appear to have somewhat of a Roman Catholic bias by my observation. But even as a Protestant I enjoyed it. He does a great job of illustrating Patrician spirituality and the effect of St Patrick upon Irish history to this very day. He also shows how the syncratic adoption of Christianity in Ireland has preserved not only many pre-christian Irish traditions, could also Western Latin literature. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vn/products/1213049-how-the-irish-saved-civilization-the-untold-story-of-irelands](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/1213049-how-the-irish-saved-civilization-the-untold-story-of-irelands) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vietnam* *Store origin: VN* *Last updated: 2026-06-08*