AFP/Dublin

From an improvised studio in his house in a rural corner of Ireland, Father Ray Kelly has become a global singing sensation and new fans now mingle with long-time parishioners in his flock.  The 62-year-old clergyman’s unexpected music career kicked off a year ago and now includes a platinum-selling album, 42mn YouTube hits and chat show appearances all across the world.
Twelve months ago, Kelly sang a version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah during a wedding ceremony of an unsuspecting couple in his small parish of Oldcastle, 100kms northwest of Dublin.
A video of the performance quickly became a viral hit.
“From there it just escalated. The video has almost 42mn hits and is going up about 35,000 every day,” Father Kelly said in an interview in the parish house he shares with his two King Charles Spaniel dogs - Biddy and Buddy.
He soon found himself appearing on chat shows before Universal Music offered him a record deal.
“It’s been mad,” Kelly said.
“I never thought this would happen at this stage of my life. I was thinking of nearly retiring and now all of a sudden I’ve a music career.” The album was recently released in the US and this week will get its Australian launch.
There’s now talk of a follow-up Christmas album.
Featuring Celtic, religious and pop songs, it was recorded over a two month period in a specially built studio in his home so as not interfere with his parish duties.
Oldcastle is a quiet rural town close to one of Ireland’s most mythical sites, the Boyne Valley, home to Neolithic passage tombs, monastic ruins and the seat of the old Irish High Kings.
Outside St Brigid’s Church, Eileen O’Reilly said the whole town was delighted by Kelly’s success.
“We all knew Father Kelly could sing over the years. When he sings, it just lifts the whole place,” she said. Kelly still sings in church, and on a recent visit his rendition of Amazing Grace received a hearty applause.  
Afterwards as Kelly walked from the church, a well-dressed woman stopped him at the door. “I’ve come all the way from England to see you.”
“I heard Father Kelly and thought he was excellent,” Margaret Raw from Epsom in England said after posing for some photographs with Kelly.
“I’m over on holidays in Ireland and wanted to come see him. He has a wonderful voice.”
Last summer, American tourists would occasionally appear at the church to see him, Kelly said.
“They fly into Dublin airport on Sunday morning and their first port of call was to Oldcastle then go off on their holidays. They wanted to meet me and hear me sing.”  In the 1970s before becoming a priest, Kelly had voice training and often took part in talent competitions in Dublin pubs.  
He later appeared in local productions of musicals.   
Since the YouTube video went viral, he’s been to Britain, Germany and the US promoting the album, even taking part in the New York St Patrick’s Day parade last month.  
Kelly said his bishop has been very “supportive and encouraging”.
“People are telling me it’s great for the Church and it’s great for vocations and it’s great to hear a positive story from the Church after all the negative stuff that happened in the past.”