HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILISATION is a shamelessly engaging, effortlessly scholarly, utterly refreshing history of the origins of the Irish soul and its huge contribution to Western culture ... For its portrait of St Patrick alone, it will resonate in the memory. Thomas Keneally Lyrical, playful, penetrating and serious ... an entirely engaging, delectable voyage into the distant past, a small treasure Richard Bernstein in the New York Times This sweepingly confident overview is more entertainingly told than any previous account ... An elegant book P.J. Kavanagh in the Sunday Telegraph Book Description The untold story of Ireland's role, from the fall of Rome to the rise of medieval Europe. About the Author Thomas Cahill is an author, historian, and publisher with a leading New York firm. He is married and has two children.