Father Ray Kelly of County Meath, Ireland, presided over the wedding of Leah and Chris O’Kane last Saturday at the Oldcastle Church. He included a song featuring his custom lyrics to the tune of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Local folks know that Father Kelly sings, but the bride and groom are not from the parish -and neither were most of their guests. The priest told them during the rehearsal that he might sing at the wedding, but they did not know exactly what would happen, or even whether to take him seriously. The performance sparked tears, then applause. That portion of the wedding video of has since gone viral.
Fr Kelly is now trying to juggle his role as a priest and his new found celebrity. “I’ve made five or six radio appearances so far, and then had a funeral this morning. I’ve got no problem coping with the attention.”
The singing priest was part of The All Priests Show in Dublin, and performed in the States. “I love to sing, and I love the buzz of performing. I travelled to America and did shows there. I’ve never had to deal with anything like this before, but I’m coping.”
Father Kelly has recorded a couple of albums for charity, and a third is on the way. -via Daily Picks and Flicks