I highly recommend this book. There is a brief excerpt from it on my quotes page. This book is an excellent eye-opener regarding a stage of history that most people have little understanding about.
Discussing the period from the fall of Rome (and how/why it fell) till the rise of small nation-states in Europe; a.k.a. the dark ages – Cahill reveals the unexpected. The Irish (of all people!) were the preservers of culture and civilization, due to the missions work of St. Patrick. Cahill also brings to light how the Irish influenced the development and the progress of Christianity, even mentioning the prayer & monastic movement of Columbanus; one of the forerunners of night and day prayer. My thrill of being Irish also comes out when I read this book. 
