'Hallelujah' priest is from Tyrrellspass

The singing priest who has become an internet sensation thanks to his stunning performance of the Leonard Cohen classic Hallelujah during a wedding is a native of Tyrrellspass.

Oldcastle based Father Ray Kelly surprised the bride and groom Leah and Chris O'Kane by incorporating the song into their wedding ceremony last Saturday and altering the lyrics accordingly.

Since the video of Fr Ray's performance was uploaded on YouTube on Monday it has received almost 140,000.

Speaking to Evoke.ie, the modest priest said that he had wanted to give the bride and groom "a little surprise".

The Tyrrellspass native is no stranger to performing."I’m currently working on my third album. I’m 25 years ordained and I’m thinking of calling the album about that, maybe '25 years so marvellous', " he told Evoke.ie.

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