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Diane Ascroft Meets the Priests

Senior Times

SAINTLY SOUNDS

Dianne Ascroft meets The Priests

When I first heard The Priests singing on breakfast television last year their voices mesmerised me. Classical and sacred music are not my usual listening choices but I was so moved by their harmonies that I logged onto Amazon and ordered a copy of their cd.
Sony BMG recently released their second album, Harmony, on 20th November and I
pre-ordered it! As the classical trio awaited the new album’s release each member took time out of his hectic schedule to chat with me about the album and his life since they first signed with Sony BMG in April 2008. ‘Exciting’, ‘amazing’ and ‘rewarding’ are words that crop up frequently in their conversation amidst easy laughter. And it’s no wonder considering the success they’ve had during the past eighteen months.

Their first album, The Priests, released in November 2008, has sold over two million copies worldwide and was nominated for a Classical Brit Award. It holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest selling classical debut album ever. Brisk sales propelled it to seven times platinum status in Ireland. They have toured worldwide, participated in New York’s St Patrick’s Parade and sung for President Mary McAleese and Queen Elizabeth.

The trio consists of three ordained priests, Frs Eugene and Martin O’Hagan, who are brothers, and their friend, Fr David Delargy. Modesty, conviction, warmth, humour and optimism are traits that characterise these middle-aged men. They are all parish priests in the Diocese of Down and Connor. As teenage boarders at St MacNissi’s College in Co Antrim they began singing together and they have continued to sing in local operas, musicals and choirs throughout their adult lives. They have a long association with Castleward Opera and are founding members of the choir, Cappella Caeciliana.

Harmony is an eclectic mix of classical and sacred music. The hymns How Great Thou Art, Amazing Grace and the Lord’s Prayer intermingle with classics and even the popular song, You’ll Never Walk Alone. Because of its football association the latter may seem incongruous but Fr Eugene, aged 50 and parish priest of Ballyclare and Ballygowan, explained that “it’s a song that has been around a long time, predating its affiliation with Liverpool Football Club.” The song is a favourite in their live shows and he said it “lifts spirits rather than being a spiritual song.”

The album “was recorded between Cullybackey and Rome, so that’s quite a distance,” Fr Eugene added with a laugh, appreciating the contrast. They travelled from the little known Amberville Studio in Northern Ireland to London’s iconic Abbey Road Studio (made famous by the Beatles) to the Forum Music Village in Rome to complete the album.

Recording a second album after the phenomenal success of the first one “puts you under a wee bit of pressure,” Fr Eugene said. “We had to get the right content, the right mix then sing the best we could.” He continued, without any hint of boasting, “Those who’ve heard the previews think the sound is very confident, that we sound even more together than we were on the first album.”

Not content to just sing well, when requested by the record company, they took on the challenge of penning their first song, King of Kings. The words are from a prayer, written as a poem, by the Donegal saint, St Columba. The theme of the song is that although everyone faces struggles and suffering “ultimately we’re in God’s hands and we put our trust in Him and He is with us,” Fr David, aged 46 and parish priest of Hannahstown, explained as we chatted in the kitchen of his parochial house.

“It starts off quite gently and moves to a fairly uplifting and rousing chorus that, I think, is an anthem. It fits well with the rest of the content of the album…It was very much a collaborative effort by all three of us and, I think, we are all very happy with the end result….and, I suppose, we are nervously awaiting the critical reviews,” he said with a wry smile. His eyes twinkled, hopeful optimism evident in his expression.

Each of the priests has fulltime pastoral responsibilities but they will promote Harmony as actively as their duties allow. Their contract stipulates that their ministerial duties take precedence over their musical commitments. Fr Martin, aged 46 and parish priest of Newtownards and Comber said they will “bring the music in bursts to a variety of places,” probably on day or overnight trips to different countries. Co-operation Ireland, the leading peace-building charity working throughout Ireland, has organized a December concert in America. There will also be mini-tours in 2010. “We need to think creatively about that and what we can do,” Fr Martin continued in a measured, thoughtful tone.

Since the release of their first album they have travelled extensively, visiting several European countries, America, Canada and Australia. But they always appreciate the experience of performing for an Irish audience. “There’s a great affinity with your own home audience,” Fr Eugene said. “People understand our humour and wit at home…It’s a special thrill and always will be to be able to sing for your own home place. At the same time they know you well and might be most critical. That’s not a bad thing. It keeps us on our toes.”

As diocesan priests they are not required to take a vow of poverty but they do not feel it is appropriate to amass personal wealth beyond their needs. So the majority of their earnings will be donated to charity. They are setting up a charitable fund which will support three main areas - education, homelessness and helping retired priests. They will contribute to building schools in Cambodia and Uganda as well as supporting Kate’s Project, an initiative that provides shelter and protection for children in Thailand who might otherwise end up in the sex trade. They will tackle homelessness by supporting the organizations the Simon Community in Ireland and Shelter in the UK. Father Eugene said that they will also “look after our own family in the fraternity” by contributing to a diocesan fund for retired priests who are ill. Miscellaneous groups that will also benefit include Sightsavers and music projects in their own diocese.

I wondered how their lives have changed in the past eighteen months. Fr Eugene told me that “we’ve gone places we never expected to be in a short space of time and have had demands placed on our time as well as our physical strengths and energies.” He said it’s “exciting but has challenges, not least keeping priestly duties at the forefront of our minds. That has presented us with new and unexpected challenges.”

While their musical endeavours claim a significant portion of their time, the three men are very committed to their vocation and do not allow their recent triumphs to change their priorities. I asked Fr David if it’s difficult to return to ordinary life after the excitement of recording or a concert tour. With quiet conviction he answered, “That’s a good thing, to be perfectly honest…you need to re-connect with your parish. And it’s that that keeps you focused and keeps you grounded. It’s the fact that you have this parish to come back to, with all the humdrum ordinary demands. There’s nothing glamorous about it, you know. It can be a bit of a slog but, it’s just ordinary things and dealing with people’s lives. And a lot of it can be difficult and challenging and sad and all of that. That keeps you very grounded and very focused and that’s good. That’s good for us that we have that to come back to.”

In early October, as they were finishing the album, Fr Martin began a new parish appointment. After a full day of meetings and visits, with Mass and another meeting awaiting him that evening, he delayed his tea to chat with me. Devoting unhurried attention to my questions, he said that he finds moving difficult and is still settling into his new parish. He also agreed that it’s necessary to balance their music and their ministry saying, “Both of them are interlinked, with music being part of our ministry as it’s always been there for us. But there’s no doubt about it, that’s gone up several notches. So we’re trying to spin the plates. There’s times when that works out fine and there are other times when you are under a bit of pressure. Because, if you leave the parish at all, you have to be sure everything’s catered for, the parish is covered in case of emergencies and that takes time to organize.”

Their faith is central to these men’s lives. Fr Martin explained how he manages to maintain a sense of God’s presence while juggling the increased demands in his life. “Sometimes that can be crowded out by the frenetic activity but it’s important to return to that, to gain a sense of equilibrium in the midst of everything. Maybe the music helps me to do that.. To be still and to be at peace but it’s a challenge. Every day is a challenge, I think, in terms of the music and keeping the balance.”

The trio’s lives have changed more than they ever imagined they would when they signed the record deal on the steps of Westminster Cathedral in April 2008. Fr Eugene told me that they are much busier than they ever thought they would be. They didn’t expect the first album to have worldwide distribution and be so successful nor did they expect the public’s interest in the music and them as music makers and as priests. They are also surprised by the recognition they have received. Fr Martin said with unassuming pleasure and generosity, “We’ve been very privileged to have received awards from Queen’s University, from Sony record company itself, a big record label, which has been superb and that has been lovely recognition of what’s happened in our lives. But I’d like to think in some way it’s not just about us. It’s about everybody – those who listen in to radio or buy a cd or bought the dvd or go to a concert…So we’re very grateful to the very tangible awards and also very grateful for the tremendous encouragement that sews a lot of seeds of hope.”

To balance the pressures they are coping with, they try to make time to unwind. When I asked Fr David whether he gets any breaks from his ministerial duties he replied, “Oh yes, you’re encouraged to take one day off each week and I try to do that as much as possible…it’s important, I think, to take that time out, that time for yourself, time to rest.” Fr Martin told me he likes activities that de-stress him, laughing as he emphasised ‘de-stress’. He named cooking, gardening and getting out for a good walk among his favourites. He told me he writes a bit of poetry, saying, “I find poetry is a great means of putting down on paper what may be going on in your life. And trying to craft words that somehow capture that moment in time and perhaps the message is caught and fixed and you can go back to that…” He also enjoys art galleries and antique shops. “I love how wood has been beautifully shaped in the past and I just find - the wood is alive, you know, and it can be so beautiful...It just gives me a bit of a boost,” he said, appreciation evident in his tone. When he can, Fr David likes to get to the gym to do a bit of exercise. “I’m not sort of an exercise-a-holic, you know. I just like to keep healthy is actually what my goal would be.” He also likes to walk – on his own or with friends – and to read. His reading tastes range from historical fiction to biography to the escapism of crime thrillers.

When I caught up with Fr Eugene he was combining administrative work as head of the Regional Marriage Tribunal with a belated birthday lunch. He turned fifty in August but was only finding time in October to celebrate with his staff and colleagues in Armagh.. He is undaunted by his milestone birthday and his zest for life shows through in his attitude to music. “Anyone who loves music never stops developing and going forward,” he said. “That’s the beauty of music, it keeps you fresh whether it’s the choice of a new piece or re-visiting an old piece which you see with new eyes having the experience of music under your belt between times. I can safely say that’s been my experience and long may it last!”

Actively involved in the choice of music for the album, they worked with the orchestral arranger, Sally Herbert, to co-ordinate the orchestral and vocal parts to blend and compliment each other, arranging their own vocal harmonies. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and two choirs provided accompaniment.

Surprised by the inclusion of love songs such as She Moved Through The Fair and My Lagan Love in their repertoire, I asked Fr Martin if he was comfortable singing these songs and he replied earnestly, “I see no difficulty whatsoever because I don’t see ourselves as being - our emotional selves are not safe and locked away. I think that’s part of who we always are and people then see us as enjoying those beautiful ballads which have wonderful sentiments about life and relationships. And I’m very much at home singing those pieces, and always have been, long before I was a priest.”

As well as being at ease with a varied repertoire, they enjoy performing with artists from diverse musical genres. They have performed with the choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome, Clannad’s Moya Brennan, the Irish Film Orchestra and the renowned flautist, James Galway. When questioned about who they would like to perform with in future, Fr Eugene cited Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras as well as possibly a great female vocalist, either classical or contemporary. With restrained enthusiasm he hinted that, with the appropriate choice of music, “maybe even a famous Irish band or two”. Telling me that people joke about the possibility of a performance with U2, he laughed with obvious relish. “You never know…Nothing‘s impossible when it comes to music. It‘s proved to bring people together from all different strands of music traditions. I’m sure we could fit in somewhere if we got the opportunity,” he said. They are also willing to try their hand at composing again. Fr. David said, with quiet confidence, “Why not?…We’d never done it before and we thought, will we be able to compose? Can we do that? And we came up with something, and we’re happy with it, so why not have another go?”
Since the release of their first album their talent, hard work and game attitude have produced spectacular results. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the manic Christmas music chart race Harmony prevails.

Copyright ©2010, Senior Times.