How the Irish Saved Civilization

How the Irish Saved Civilization

Author: Thomas Cahill

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2010-04-28

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 0307755134

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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • 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. • The perfect St. Patrick's Day gift! 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.


Irish Wisdom Preserved in Bible and Pyramids

Irish Wisdom Preserved in Bible and Pyramids

Author: Conor MacDari

Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing

Published: 2018-12-12

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1789128323

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The solution of the mystery of the pyramids of Egypt has been a problem which has not only puzzled mankind in general during the ages of the past, but which has as well mystified the minds of scholars and thinkers even to this our present day. In Irish Wisdom Preserved in Bible and Pyramids, which was first published in 1923, author Conor MacDari begins with the origin of the Great Pyramid and continues to explain the reasons for its existence, its message and significance. He then traces history from the time of the ancient Phoenicians through the Roman era, illustrating the part the Irish race took in these important times.


Story of Ireland

Story of Ireland

Author: Neil Hegarty

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2012-04-24

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 1448140390

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The history of Ireland has traditionally focused on the localized struggles of religious conflict, territoriality and the fight for Home Rule. But from the early Catholic missions into Europe to the embrace of the euro, the real story of Ireland has played out on the larger international stage. Story of Ireland presents this new take on Irish history, challenging the narrative that has been told for generations and drawing fresh conclusions about the way the Irish have lived. Revisiting the major turning points in Irish history, Neil Hegarty re-examines the accepted stories, challenging long-held myths and looking not only at the dynamics of what happened in Ireland, but also at the role of events abroad. How did Europe's 16th century religious wars inform the incredible violence inflicted on the Irish by the Elizabethans? What was the impact of the French and American revolutions on the Irish nationalist movement? What were the consequences of Ireland's policy of neutrality during the Second World War? Story of Ireland sets out to answer these questions and more, rejecting the introspection that has often characterized Irish history. Accompanying a landmark series coproduced by the BBC and RTE, and with an introduction by series presenter, Fergal Keane, Story of Ireland is an epic account of Ireland's history for an entire new generation.


In Search of Ancient Ireland

In Search of Ancient Ireland

Author: Carmel McCaffrey

Publisher: Ivan R. Dee

Published: 2003-06-11

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 1461655692

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This engaging book traces the history, archaeology, and legends of ancient Ireland from 9000 B.C., when nomadic hunter-gatherers appeared in Ireland at the end of the last Ice Age to 1167 A.D., when a Norman invasion brought the country under control of the English crown for the first time. So much of what people today accept as ancient Irish history—Celtic invaders from Europe turning Ireland into a Celtic nation; St. Patrick driving the snakes from Ireland and converting its people to Christianity—is myth and legend with little basis in reality. The truth is more interesting. The Irish, as the authors show, are not even Celtic in an archaeological sense. And there were plenty of bishops in Ireland before a British missionary called Patrick arrived. But In Search of Ancient Ireland is not simply the story of events from long ago. Across Ireland today are festivals, places, and folk customs that provide a tangible link to events thousands of years past. The authors visit and describe many of these places and festivals, talking to a wide variety of historians, scholars, poets, and storytellers in the very settings where history happened. Thus the book is also a journey on the ground to uncover ten thousand years of Irish identity. In Search of Ancient Ireland is the official companion to the three-part PBS documentary series. With 14 black-and-white photos, 6 b&w illustrations, and 1 map.


The Irish Scholarly Presence at St. Gall

The Irish Scholarly Presence at St. Gall

Author: Sven Meeder

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2018-03-22

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1350038695

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The Carolingian period represented a Golden Age for the abbey of St Gall, an Alpine monastery in modern-day Switzerland. Its bloom of intellectual activity resulted in an impressive number of scholarly texts being copied into often beautifully written manuscripts, many of which survive in the abbey's library to this day. Among these books are several of Irish origin, while others contain works of learning originally written in Ireland. This study explores the practicalities of the spread of this Irish scholarship to St Gall and the reception it received once there. In doing so, this book for the first time investigates a part of the network of knowledge that fed this important Carolingian centre of learning with scholarship. By focusing on scholarly works from Ireland, this study also sheds light on the contribution of the Irish to the Carolingian revival of learning. Historians have often assumed a special relationship between Ireland and the abbey of St Gall, which was built on the grave of the Irish saint Gallus. This book scrutinises this notion of a special connection. The result is a new viewpoint on the spread and reception of Irish learning in the Carolingian period.


Early Irish Kingship and Succession

Early Irish Kingship and Succession

Author: Bart Jaski

Publisher:

Published: 2013-06

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781846824265

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Early medieval Ireland was ruled by a large number of lords, kings, and overkings. In a complicated network of affiliations, the Irish kings and the dynasties to which they belonged played a never-ending game of prevail or perish. Most kings had to deal with jealous relatives, unruly sons, dissatisfied noblemen, and ambitious overkings. On the sideline, clerics and poets were keeping a critical eye on their rule. On the basis of a wide range of written sources (laws, sagas, poetry, annals, genealogy, hagiography), Early Irish Kingship and Succession - now available in paperback - provides new insights about the place of lords and kings in early Irish society. The book analyzes the relationship with their subjects, by which means they ruled, and their strategies of survival in a competitive society. This is set in a context of the early Irish ideology of rulership, which combined Celtic ideas about sacral kingship with Christian concepts about proper behavior and heavenly punishment. A lord or king had to be qualified for his office. Considerations - such as descent, seniority, dignity, wealth, supporters, and physical and mental capacities - were all taken into account when a new lord or king was chosen. This study re-evaluates the rule of succession, its origins, and its expression in narrative literature, and it examines the meaning of the kingship of Tara and the titles rigdamna and tanaise rig. It sketches the background of the medieval Irish polity, with its expanding and fragmenting dynasties, and it explains why none ever gained permanent rule over the whole island.


Saving Europe

Saving Europe

Author: Henry Vyner-Brooks

Publisher:

Published: 2021-01-25

Total Pages: 656

ISBN-13: 9780956942746

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SAVING EUROPE ​is a SPLIT BIOGRAPHY OF TWO UNSUNG HEROES IN TWO DARK AGES​. ​At either end of European history, the decisive leadership showed by (6th-century Irish monk) Columbanus, and (20th-century French statesman) Robert Schuman, helped tip the balance against the forces of cultural anarchy in their day. The author travels to 12 countries in search of their lives and legacies - which serve as both inspiration and warning.​ ​ This book also explores the​ ARRIVAL, SURVIVAL, VICTORY & ATROPHY OF EUROPEAN CIVILISATION​. ​From Abraham to Athens; Byzantium to Brussels, this book explores the triumphs and tragedies of a unique civilization. It highlights the impact of Christianity on Europe's cultural formation and the Christian leadership which spurred movements for political integration.​ ​ This book delivers a​ STARK ANALYSIS & TIMELY CHALLENGE TO MODERN EUROPEANS​. ​Reissuing the warning of the war-time leaders and Christian intellectuals, this book challenges both religious and secular readers to rediscover the missing soul of Europe, before it is too late.​ ​


How the Irish Invented Slang

How the Irish Invented Slang

Author: Daniel Cassidy

Publisher: AK Press

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781904859604

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Cassidy presents a history of the Irish influence on American slang in a colourful romp through the slums, the gangs of New York and the elaborate scams of grifters and con men, their secret language owing much to the Irish Gaelic imported with many thousands of immigrants. With chapters on How the Irish Invented Poker and How the Irish Invented Jazz, Cassidy stakes a claim for the Irishness of American English. Includes a preface by Peter Quinn and an Irish - American Vernacular Dictionary.