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Overall Summary
How the Irish Saved Civilization by Tom Cahill is a historical work about how Ireland preserved civilization after it was left behind by the Romans. The book received widespread critical acclaim and won several awards, including an American Book Award in 1996. It was followed by another book called How the Scots Invented the Modern World.
How the Irish Saved Civilization tells of how Ireland, in particular its monks, preserved antiquated texts and manuscripts from a time before the Middle Ages. This is because they were able to preserve these ancient works when no one else could or would.
Cahill begins by summarizing why Rome fell, and how a new wave of industrious people with better education and more aggressive attitudes pushed back against a crumbling empire. The Roman Empire was too large to maintain itself anymore, so it collapsed. Cahill attributes the collapse to farming, which led to population growth.
Chapter two of “How the Irish Saved Civilization” focuses on how Roman law and philosophy were preserved by monks after Rome’s fall. The author notes that Christianity became an important part of preserving classical texts because it was a way to keep Roman traditions in place, even as the empire collapses.
After that, Cahill shifts to Ireland and how little it changed prior to Rome’s fall. He then discusses St. Patrick, who is the first missionary bishop from England and was responsible for ending Irish slavery, reducing intertribal wars and crime, establishing convents and monasteries, reminding the Irish people of their ability to live a pious life without war or bloodshed.
Chapter six of the book, “What was Found: How the Irish Saved Civilization” discusses how Patrick channels what speaks to these Irish people – their need for a cause and martyrdom. Instead of war and violence, they can lead a pious life of religion – perhaps why Christianity was accepted in Ireland without any brutality.
Cahill’s book explains how Patrick’s methodology gave the Irish people a purpose. This led to the monks looking for something productive and necessary to do. As a result, monastic areas became centres of academia, culture and prosperity. Ancient texts only further encouraged their appetite for learning.
The Irish love to learn and are passionate about books. They take their book-making skills with them as they travel across Europe and give people access to the knowledge they want. The Irish also share their passion for reading, which helps them connect with the people who have lost faith in literature during a time of turmoil.
Books are the most important invention of all time. They spread ideas and knowledge to people who would otherwise not have access to them. However, books alone do not guarantee understanding, especially if they’re read by those with a different perspective from their authors – one that is more superstitious and simple than others.
It seems that Cahill is saying that the Irish saved their civilization by preserving ancient texts, myths and legends. However, they couldn’t control what the rest of Europe would do with this information.
Cahill reminds the reader of how simple changes in farming, disease, control, and geography can shake even the strongest empire to its foundations. The broader message found in How the Irish Saved Civilization is that individual countries come and go but civilization as a whole is important.
