Did the monks on Skellig Michael save the Western world from the Dark (Side)?

Modern historian and commentator Kenneth Clark said in his popular BBC show Civilization, “Western Christianity survived by clinging to places like Skellig Michael, a pinnacle of rock [seven] miles from the Irish coast, rising seven hundred feet out of the sea.” It’s an intriguing claim, crediting the solitary monastery on Skellig Michael with a role in the survival of Western Christianity.

Author Thomas Cahill broadens the connection to not only include Western Christianity, but “civilization” in his book “How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe.”

How is it possible that a small monastic community at the edge of the world could have such a large impact in world affairs?

We will take a look at that and discern as much as we can what role these warrior monks had in combating the “Dark Side” of the Dark Ages.

As a short teaser, here is a Star Wars-esque opening crawl that gives a little taste of what we will be examining in the coming weeks.

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