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How the Irish Saved Civilization
- The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe
- Narrated by: Donal Donnelly
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
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Publisher's summary
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.
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.
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Full of larger-than-life characters, stunning acts of bravery, and heart-rending sacrifice, Tried by Fire narrates the rise and expansion of Christianity from an obscure regional sect to the established faith of the world's greatest empire with influence extending from India to Ireland, Scandinavia to Ethiopia, and all points in between.
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Best history of Christianity I've read
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E. H. Gombrich's world history, an international best seller now available in English for the first time, is a text dominated not by dates and facts but by the sweep of experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity's achievements, and an acute witness to its frailties.
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Who changed the sex of God? This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of alphabetic literacy reconfigured the human brain and brought about profound changes in history, religion, and gender relations. Making remarkable connections across brain function, myth, and anthropology, Dr. Shlain shows why pre-literate cultures were principally informed by holistic, right-brain modes that venerated the Goddess, images, and feminine values.
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The Jews: Story of a People
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Disorganized, inconclusive and disappointing
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Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age, legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the "rebirth" of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.
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A good listen
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As the most celebrated European to explore Asia, Marco Polo was the original global traveler and the earliest bridge between East and West. A universal icon of adventure and discovery, he has inspired six centuries of popular fascination and spurious mythology. Now, from acclaimed author Laurence Bergreen, comes the first fully authoritative biography of one of the most enchanting figures in world history.
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Educational and Entertaining but a bit repetitive
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What listeners say about How the Irish Saved Civilization
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- rachel
- 04-17-10
Interesting...I'd recommend it.
I enjoyed the book.
I wanted more.
There was much I didn't know and hadn't run into in other sources.
I'd recommend it.
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- Johannes Boot
- 08-30-19
very informative and intriguing
have to force yourself to pay attention but you will be richly rewarded. tons of interesting history and even some philosophy!
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-12-22
WOW! I didn't know.
So much to digest. I will need to listen a couple of times more. Go Irish!
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- Hanna Marie Volle
- 12-12-17
Very interesting
Excellent, I learned so much, both about Irish and European history. The narrator was a bit too epic for me, I didn't like that he changed his accent, tempo and tone Of voice when reciting quotations.
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- Kevin
- 03-12-18
Premature Rating
The audio quality on this recording is really, really bad. Definitely not what I am used to from Audible. Likewise the narrator makes it a little more long-winded than it should be. I may have to return this one and get the Abridged version with Liam Neeson if I want to get through the Audible version.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Michael
- 09-04-07
Impressive!
A rollicking trip through history, exploring the origins and underpinnings of Western philosophy and thought, and the circumstances that led to Ireland being in a unique time, place, and position to play it's special role. Interesting, well written and paced, very entertaining history!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Chase B.
- 06-25-20
An absolute delight! If you listen at 1.25 speed.
The "voice" of the author, meaning the style and personality which comes through his words, is positively delightful. This book is gripping from stem to stern, and I have been introduced to so many new and interesting characters throughout history. On top of these introductions the author wove wonderful connections between people I did know about like Boethius, Patrick, Scotus Eugenia, etc.
Thomas has written a beautiful book which is both entertaining and packed with historical data presented in a delightful way. The writing is so good that it almost covers up how much Donal Donnelly just phoned in the narration.
Donal has an interesting voice, and you can tell he is probably a skilled voice-over artist, but this felt very much like a first read, or like he had very limited studio time and really needed to pound this out on short notice in one or two brutal sessions with no pre-reading. He is able to quickly inflect one emotion or another in a sentence, but feeling never extends by more than that sentence. He clearly has no vision of what's coming next and just quickly intones deeply when the word "death" pops up or throws a little stank on it when you can tell someone is speaking sarcastically, but only at the point in the sentence when it would be completely obvious to a first-time reader of that sentence would realize what's going on.
You can tell he has talent, and is quite nimble to throw in this or that emotion when it becomes apparent from the read, but it feels very much like a skilled dancer dancing to a complex piece of music they've never heard before.
However, Donal's (in my opinion) very poor performance (in light of his apparent talent) has neither turned me off of Donal or the story itself. First of all, this book is fantastic. It's a book I feel better for having listened to. It both expanded my sense of the magnificent importance of Irish history and its lively cast of characters, and entertained me like a good novel. Secondly, I have faith that Donal is a good V-O guy, and this was just a bad day or two, or maybe he just really hated the book for some absurd reason I could never comprehend. Even so, he has an interesting voice, and no apparent lack of skill. Though I'd like to have seen this book get the treating it deserves, I don't feel cheated in any way.
You ever meet someone who really botches their first impression with you, like, they're rude and inconsiderate, but you can tell they're someone you want to know better, and that this was probably just a really bad day? That's how I feel about Donal. I'm pretty sure we're gonna be buddies, but I'm never gonna stop teasing him about how the first time we met he threw up all over my carpet and didn't apologize for two weeks.
EDIT: I forgot to mention I listened to this at 1.25 speed. In light of this... Maybe Donal and I won't be buddies, lol, time will tell. It is a total slog if you listen to it at normal speed. Kick it up.
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- merlin
- 01-23-21
Drags a bit
While the arguments are compellingly and accessibly laid out, the narrator drags a bit in the delivery. I listened to this book at 1.2 speed, and found it to be a much more satisfying pace.
The book does its best work when recounting the impact of specific Irish saints, and if your looking for something to get you in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit, you can’t go wrong with this book.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Curt Curtis
- 08-31-22
Excellent!
Uplifting, enlightening and facinating story of Ireland. Makes me proud of my Irish heritage.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Donna Swartz
- 06-18-23
Enjoyed
I heard a bit of this story years ago when I visited Ireland. I was very interested in hearing the details. I enjoyed getting the history and early culture and how it affected the journey. Didn’t mind the dramatization, added a bit to the story.
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