CityLife

Heavenly sales, but Priests won't give up day job

BRIDGEWATER SERVICE: The Priests

IT’S the quandary every fledgling pop star must confront: when do you give up the day job? The Priests – Fathers David Delargy, and brothers Eugene and Martin O’Hagan – know the answer to that question already. Never.

As their eponymous debut album sold around two million copies in almost 40 countries, they have fitted the TV appearances, the promotional visits to the USA and Australia and red carpet occasions like the Classical Brits around the demands of their respective parishes in the diocese of Down and Connor, Northern Ireland.

The music business, they said from the outset, will always come second to their ministries.

“People who to come to Mass in the parish would not even necessarily be aware that we’d been absent at all,” muses Father David, who tots up just how many days he has been away from his presbytery – just one day in January, two in February, four for a trip to the US in March, none in April, eight in May for a trip to Australia.

“Sometimes it can be quite a challenge in terms of our stamina and keeping our energies for the work we need to do in the parish and for the singing,” he says.

The three priests never went out to seek this fame. Producer Mike Hedges – who has worked with the likes of U2, Manic Street Preachers and Dido – had an idea to record the Latin Mass.

Nick Raphael, managing director of Epic Records became interested, and drummer Liam Bradley went talent-scouting.

Along the way, Bradley was pointed in the direction of the O’Hagan brothers, who had been singing with Father David ever since they studied together at a Belfast boarding school. ‘Holy Holy Holy’ the trio had been nicknamed.

Rome

They had studied in Rome and sung for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

So the project mutated from a Latin mass into an album of sacred music featuring the three priests, all in their 40s.

Sacred music had been creeping into the burgeoning classical crossover market for years, but here were three proper priests doing their devotions in song.

“Some of these are great tunes and have stood the test of time, some for centuries,” says Father David of The Priests’ repertoire.

“It’s aimed at everyone without any limitations or boundaries. We did not want to say you can only listen to this music if you are a believer, a Christian or a particular kind of Christian.”

They are not trying to draw people to the church either, but if that happens, then it would be a ‘welcome effect’.

“We said from the outset that we would like to make sure that various charities benefited from the proceeds,” says Father David.

“We have set up The Priests Charitable Fund and moneys that come to us from royalties and so on will be channelled into the fund and then distributed to various charities. We have also said it would not be just Catholic charities which benefit. We probably will profit to some degree, but we’re not in to make a big profit.

“It wouldn’t be seemly for a priest to become wealthy beyond his needs.”

The Priests were pipped to a Classical Brit for best album by the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The trio were merely happy to be at the ceremony in the Royal Albert Hall.

“There wasn’t any keenly-felt disappointment,” says Father David. “It was a fantastic experience for us, a wonderful venue. There was enough excitement just being there with people like Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Herbie Hancock and Katherine Jenkins.”

You do wonder, though, how three men of God will fare in an industry noted for being cutthroat and venal. “All I can say is that in my own experience it has been very positive for us,” All our dealings with people in the music industry have been very cordial and very respectful,” says Father David.

Of course, as increasingly high-profile men of the cloth, there is the danger of The Priests being seen as spokesman for the Church.
 “We’re not mouthpieces for the Church,” insists Father David.

“The three of us are common or garden variety priests, not necessarily with any expertise in particular areas. We don’t want to be put on a pedestal and we would resist that.”

The Priests perform at the Bridgewater Hall on Thursday, June 18. Call 0161 907 9000.