Weddings are already emotional but Chris and Leah O Kane had something extra that most couples never experience. Their priest ended up singing Hallelujah as they entered the church and it turned the whole ceremony into something unforgettable.
The priest explained a little about them afterward and said: “The bride Leah is from Dublin and the groom Chris is from Cookstown in County Tyrone,” and he went on to say they were having their reception a short distance away and had chosen his church for the ceremony. During the rehearsal, he joked about singing a song for them. The bride agreed but she never expected him to actually do it.
His community in County Meath already knew he had a beautiful voice because they had heard him sing often at weddings and funerals. He has even released three albums over the years, so this was not new to him, even if it was new to the couple.
They had hired a band called Sunlight to handle the music for the day. When the ceremony ended the band played their last notes and then a backing track started up and the guests all glanced toward the musicians but they had no idea where the sound was coming from.
That is when he suddenly began singing and people in the room froze for a moment trying to process what was happening. The melody was Hallelujah but he had rewritten the lyrics to fit a couple starting their life together and his voice filled the entire church.
By the time he finished the crowd was on their feet giving him a standing ovation and the bride and groom were still trying to take it all in. They had no idea their priest was capable of something like that.
Normally this would be a special moment remembered only by the wedding party. But the ceremony happened to be filmed by a local video company run by Patrick Rushe, and he uploaded the clip and watched it explode online.
Within four days, the performance had over 2.5 million views because people could not believe how good he sounded. It became one of those viral surprises that spreads fast because it just makes people smile.
Some wondered whether he planned to start singing professionally after all the attention. When asked about it he said: “I enjoy singing, but I wouldn’t want to do it full time – I love what I’m doing as a priest.”
So, for anyone wanting to hear him live, it looks like you would have to go to Ireland because he is staying right where he is.
