St. Aidan was Irish, a monk at Iona. After St. Oswald gained the crown of Northumbria St. Aidan went there as a missionary to restore the people to Christianity. He became bishop of Lindisfarne and began preaching the faith of Christ. When St. Oswald died in 642, St. Oswin, King of Deira, supported St. Aidan in his works.
St. Aidan was a great missionary because he was polite, kind, and humble. He did not force Christianity on those he visited but rather slowly interested them in it. Through his tireless efforts Northumbria was returned to Christianity.
St. Aidan was also sucessful because he expressed his faith in a way that suited the people he was converting. That is, he used his Celtic heritage to appeal to the Celtic people he worked with rather than appearing as a Roman conqueror.
St. Aidan died in 651 after a short illness, while leaning against the wall of a local church. His feast is celebrated on August 31 Old Calendar.
Source: http://www2.orthodoxwiki.org/index.php?title=Aidan_of_Lindisfarne&oldid=14234
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