"From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne -- the "dark ages" -- learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European continent. The great heritage of Western civilization -- from the Greek and Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works -- would have been utterly lost were it not for the holy men and women of the unconquered Ireland. In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas...

Presents an accessible and revealing portrait of medieval times. As Europe reaches intellectual stagnation and decline, Ireland bursts forth as a vigourous haven of scholarship.--