First we had a singing nun, now we've got a singing priest. Irish priest Father Ray Kelly has taken YouTube by storm with a cover version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. The surprise performance was filmed at a wedding in his parish in County Meath.
For his pitch-perfect performance, Father Kelly updated the lyrics so they were more suitable for a wedding. According to the multi-talented priest, bride and groom Leah and Chris O'Kane were completely taken aback by his surprise performance. He told the Irish Times: "Locally, most people know I sing at weddings, but Leah and Chris aren’t from the parish. I told them at the rehearsal I would sing for them, but I think they were a bit taken aback.” Now the musical maestro is adjusting to his new life as an internet celebrity and said he was "absolutely flabbergasted" by all the attention. “I’ve only been on YouTube once or twice in my life so it was a surprise to see the video and see how many views it has, I’ve been floored by the reaction," he said. The video, uploaded on Wednesday, had amassed more than 30,000 views by midday on Thursday.
It seems there's something about singing clergy. In March, Sister Cristina Scuccia wowed the net and judges on the Italian version of The Voice with an astounding cover of Alicia Keys' song No One. The Guardian |
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