Singing priest: ‘People must have been up all night watching’

A singing Meath priest who hit the headlines after his rendition of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah went viral has continued to soar in popularity.

Father Ray Kelly sang at the wedding of Leah and Chris O'Kane in his parish of Old Castle, and a video of his performance has received nearly 3,000,000 hits in just two days.

As the views have risen, so has Fr Kelly's star. He told The Irish Times today: "I've been master of ceremony at a choir competition in Mullingar today, and the video was the hot topic of conversation.

"I think most people had heard me on the radio or read about it on Facebook. "

The video has spread much further afield however, and it is being talked about from Mullingar to Manhattan Fr Kelly added: "I've been amazed by the response, absolutely flabbergasted.

“I had a phone call earlier to say my picture was on a big screen in Times Square in New York.”

Fr Kelly is also taken aback by how quickly the video has spread, he said: “When I went to bed last night (Wednesday) the video was on less than a million views, and when I woke up five or so hours later it had nearly doubled.

“It’s phenomenal, people must have been up all night watching it.”

Demand for the singing priest’s services is huge, he said: “I checked my email inbox and it’s full of requests, there must have been 50 or 60 giving me the details of their wedding and asking if I can attend.”

Father Kelly isn’t being tempted into a change of careers however, he said: “I love being a priest, and that’s always going to be my number one priority, but I would love to see if I can try and incorporate this a bit more.”