I was reading this book on Romanesque architecture written in 1985, when I came across this paragraph.
"A force in the opposite direction was the continued growth of monasticism: the Irish in particular, with their Egyptian heritage, were endowed with strong missionary zeal. They read the pagan writers and wrote as well as read Greek; their prose style was full of Hellenistic mannerisms. They and their proteges were to be found in the new monasteries of Fulda and Reichenau in Germany and St Gall in Switzerland."
I don't believe I've ever heard this claim before, but I guess it wouldn't be "impossible" given that there was still Greek cultural contact with the western empire even in the mid 5th century (and by extension, Egyptian Greek), but for it to reach Britain and Ireland? That seems suspect. Especially since the usual understanding was that the Irish church was found by St. Patrick, and despite whatever legendary problems that come up with the story, it makes sense that the church might have more Latin roots than Greek-Egyptian.
Unless monasticism itself was a predominantly Egyptian tradition at the time? I don't know. Can anyone shed some light on this claim?
While the center of the Catholic church was (and remains) Rome, the origins of early Chirsitian monasticism can actually be traced directly to early Christian monks in Egypt. Christians in Egypt would seek solitude in the desert around the major settlements in Egypt, and would generally live what we would describe as a hermetic lifestyle. Since the monks that lived this way were usually quite learned in Christianity, other monks seeking to emulate their lifestyles would congregate around them, leading to protomonastic communities.
Considering Egypt remained an important center for the Roman, and later Byzantine empires, the influence of this monastic tradition grew and inspired emulation throughout Europe, up to and eventually including Ireland after its conversion from paganism. In this way Irish monasticism, and especially asceticism, was heavily influenced by Egyptian traditions.
For more information check out The Desert Fathers, which is a detailed history of the Egyptian origins of monastic life.
This is a little late, but Henry Mayr-Harting's The Coming of Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England confirms the link between Ireland and Egypt via Gaul (pg 79ff).