review thomas cahills how the irish saved civilization

Thomas Cahill opens his story describing Rome's fall, "For as the
Roman Empirefell, as all through Europe matted, unwashed barbarians
descended on the Roman cities,looting artifacts and burning books, the
Irish who were just learning to read and write,took up the just labor of
copying all of western literature - everything they could get theirhands on.
These scribes then served as conduits through which Greco-Roman
andJudeo-Christian cultures were transmitted to the tribes of Europe,
newly settled amid the rubble and ruined vineyards of the civilization they
had overwhelmed." (Cahill, p.3) The theme of this book is that the
scribes did something unique, they saved civilization,not the masses of
people, but literature, the content of "classical civilization." (Cahill, p.58)
One reads of the time from Rome's fall to medieval times learning
through thestories of the characters, most notable Augustine and Patrick.
Augustine, his faith based on Roman Chrisitanity, "looked into his
own heart andfound the anguish of each individual." (Cahill, p. 115)
Patrick, the slave turnedChristian, escapes only to return to convert the
Irish. He was the first missionary to thebarbarians beyond Greco-Roman
law "who looked into the hearts of others." (Cahill, p.115) Cahill notes
Ireland is the only land where Christianity is introduced withoutviolence -
there were no murdered Irish martyrs. (Cahill, p. 151) He discusses
thegrowth of monasteries in Ireland and their eventual spread to Iona and
beyond byColumcille and his "White Martyr" followers. (Cahill, pp.
171-184) Growth continuesas Columbanus establishes the first
Italo-Irish monastery where monks continue to prayand copy. Between
these two men Irish monasteries were established in England,Scotland,
Italy, France and beyond. Historically the Irish are not credited with a
major role in this time period andCahill attempts to prove the
society/culture of this time has its roots in Ireland. He states,"Ireland, at
peace and copying, stood in the position to become Europe's publisher."
TheSaxons had blocked routes to the English mainland. A new, illiterate
Europe was risingfrom Roman ruins Ireland would reconnect Europe

with its own past by way of Ireland's scribal hands. (Cahill, 183) These
monasteries become centers for learning,presumable the predecessor of
modern universities. I have two favorite parts to this book, first, the
contrast Cahill makes betweenAugustine and Patrick. I am catholic, from
birth, and I never really thought of Augustinein the manner Cahill
portrays him, the dark versus bright side of Chrisitanity.
Augustinebecomes self-conscious, "the man who cried I " (Cahill, p/ 39)
He wanted truth. Wesee the classical world through him. Patrick on the
otherhand is a Christian convert, anescaped slave, who returns to Ireland
to save it. He brings the Roman alphabet andRoman literature with him.
He also brings a more personal faith with him that paganIreland
eventually accepts. Hungry for knowledge faith and literacy essentially
becomeone. My other favorite part was the stories of the early
Irish war heroes that becamepossessed by warp-spasm, particularly
Cuchulainn. Cahill uses exerpts form The Tain toillustrate how they lived
in fear of their mythological creatures, lived in fear of dying, andused
alcohol, particularly beer, to drink the fears away, Patrick became the
alternative. (Cahill, pp. 83-85) I enjoyed this book immensely,
probably because I am three fourths Irish myself. It probably makes me
prejudiced. I do feel he was biased in his views but I don't thinkthat there
is an author who isn't biased in his or her viewpoint. Cahill, obviously
Irishhimself, is no worse than the others. Read the Times Picayune, or
listen to TV news foran example. His bias (and pride) is evidenced when
he writes, "Latin literature wouldalmost surely have been lost without the
Irish, and illiterate Europe would hardly havedeveloped its great national
literatures without the example of the Irish, the firstvernacular literature to
be written down. Beyond that, there would have perished in thewest not
only literacy but all the habits of mind that encourage thought." (Cahill,
p.193) Cahill notes that the Hebrew bible would have been saved by the
Jewish people and theGreek literature was preserved by the Byzantines.

He acknowledges that literature mayhave survived elsewhere but it is only
a momentary aside in his story after all, his pointis that THE IRISH
saved civilization.You've got to love the Irish - especially this time of year!