Historical Society President

As president general of the American Irish Historical Society, Dr. Kevin Cahill heads up one of the most well-known and prestigious organizations in the country, which is based in New York. 

The Society works to raise the awareness of Irish Americans of their culture, ancestry and history, and hosts talks and reading by many leading figures. It publishes a journal called The Recorder. 

But Dr. Cahill is also widely known for his work in his chosen career of medicine, having treated many famous individuals, including Pope Paul II. He became the first American to receive a coveted papal award, the Grand Cross Pro Merito Melitensi. 

Dr. Cahill has published widely, writing on a range of subjects which encompass medicine, politics and culture in Africa, Central America and Ireland. Thomas Cahill Author 

When Thomas Cahill decided to write a book about the Irish he chose quite a subject – How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe. 

The writing of Thomas Cahill is exquisite – lyrical, warm and compelling. Though written in a tongue-in-cheek manner, Cahill takes his work – and his subject – very seriously. Readers are taken on a journey through Ireland’s history that is nothing short of astounding. 

He was born in the Bronx in New York, one of six children. Cahill attended a Jesuit high school, and later became a seminarian, earning a pontifical degree and becoming fluent in Latin and Greek. 

In 1970, Cahill contracted to do a book for Scribners, The Literary Guide to Ireland. He and his wife, Susan, worked on the project together, and Cahill found himself focusing on ancient and medieval literature, something which come in handy when researching his current book. The book has sold more than 100,000 copies, and is in its 12th printing. 

Cahill left his job as director of religious publishing at Doubleday to concentrate on writing full-time.