​Frank Duff was more than a Dublin maverick.

He was an unorthodox, unconventional, fearless non-conformist who lived by his own rules.

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The book is controversial, just like he was.

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His defiance of the Irish Catholic Church's dictates sometimes made him deeply unpopular.

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Driven by compassion, he fought to shelter and support prostitutes, homosexuals, single mothers, and homeless men, offering refuge in his Dublin hostels where none existed.

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It led to fierce clashes with two of the most powerful and controlling figures in the Irish Catholic Church, Dublin Archbishops Edward Byrne and John Charles McQuaid.

My single mother and I were among the five thousand lucky enough to find sanctuary with a roof over our heads and, more importantly, the right to stay together. Unlike the countless mothers and children across Ireland who were torn apart by the Church’s harsh and unforgiving system, we were spared that fate.

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It was only possible because of Frank Duff’s unshakable compassion and the radical charity he built against all odds and against the will of the Church itself.

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 His charitable work inspired a global movement of over

40 million laypeople. And yet, despite his extraordinary legacy, his name has faded from history.