The influence of the Irish saints and martyrs on the Christian church cannot be overestimated; there has been a tradition of Irish saints for more than 1800 years. Although there are only five canonized Irish saints, there are thousands that have been sanctified by tradition and the devotion of centuries, and who are often, curiously, better known in the rest the world than in Ireland itself. Montague traces the history of Irish sanctity from the second Century A.D. to the 20th, covering the Golden Age of Irish sanctity, papal recognition of Irish saints, the Irish martyrs, Irish causes, and a calendar of the feast days of the most important Irish saints.