Father Ray Kelly isn’t only an Irish Catholic priest, he’s also a singer with vocals that can lift your soul. With Christmas just around the corner – there’s no better time than now to enjoy his powerful rendition of the holiday classic, “Little Drummer Boy.”
The performance took place during an annual Christmas concert at Fr. Ray’s church in County Meath, Ireland. Lucky for us, the event was filmed and shared with the world (although it would have been incredible to have experienced it from one of the pews).
Pull out your favorite Christmas sweater, sit back, relax, and discover how beautiful it sounds when an Irish priest sings “Little Drummer Boy.”
There’s a chance that Fr. Ray Kelly seems a little familiar to you… No, you’re not going crazy – he became a viral sensation back in 2014 after a video of him singing at a wedding spread across the internet.
Fr. Ray was filmed singing a unique version of “Hallelujah” to the bride and groom. Not only did the couple love his performance, but the rest of the world did too. He signed a contract that same year with Universal Music Ireland.
Before that, singing had been a hobby for the priest. But now, it’s opened doors for him that have changed his life. He’s released albums, appeared on TV, and performed internationally. As his website points out though:
“Father Ray also keeps up with his Parish work in Oldcastle and continues to share his talent in benefit of charities and good causes.”
The Catholic priest even managed to impress the biggest talent critic out there, Simon Cowell.
At the age of 64, Fr. Ray auditioned on BGT season 12. He quickly pulled on heartstrings singing the R.E.M. song, “Everybody Hurts.” The crowd was moved and Simon called it, “one of my favorite auditions ever.”
Although Fr. Ray didn’t make it to the finals, his audition video alone has been watched more than 12 million times on YouTube.
The clip below comes from Father Ray Kelly’s DVD, A Christmas Concert In The Heart Of Ireland. His performance was captured at St. Brigid’s Church.
Before Fr. Ray delights movie viewers with his rendition of “Little Drummer Boy,” he makes a warm comment about Christmas. He says:
“A family Christmas is the best kind of Christmas. Once you’ve had a good one, you will make a point to enjoy every future Christmas with your family.”
It fades from the priest singing the tune with a group of children to the beautifully-lit church, where he’d be belting it out in front of packed pews.
Get ready for a performance that’ll touch your heart and brighten your spirits. Fr. Ray may be a soft-spoken man – but he has a magnificent voice that can fill a room.
“The Little Drummer Boy” is a Christmas classic that was written in 1940, and is heard throughout the season.
The lyrics tell the story of a poor boy that plays his drum for Baby Jesus as a gift. There are many “Pa rum pum pum pum(s)” in the song, and Fr. Ray sings them just perfectly.
It’s a performance that has all of the elements of Christmas, wrapped up with the enchanting sounds of an Irish priest. Press play below to watch it for yourself!
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