You’re right. I did think about the rest of the West and figured Europe’s works would be safe...as long as someone held out.
Interesting that the Irish kept the really important info from the past...never knew that.
Actually, I left out the word "monastery." The Irish monks maintained the libraries. It's all chronicled in a book by Thomas Cahill titled How the Irish Saved Civilization. The series is called Hinges of History and I'm not sure if there's been another book since. Haven't seen one.