Summary of How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from

In "How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe," author Thomas Cahill tells the story of how the Irish monks played an instrumental role in saving Western civilization following the collapse of the Roman Empire. Through their works, these monks kept texts from the Classical world alive and laid the groundwork for a revived Christian and intellectual world. Cahill's vivid narrative weaves together the history of Ireland, the biography of illustrious Irishmen, and the story of how the Irish exerted tremendous impact on the world of literature, theology, and scholarship in the centuries following the fall of Rome. By tracing the origins of the Irish monks, Cahill reveals their extraordinary role in helping to lay the foundation for the rise of the modern world.