Raymond Kelly, S.P.S. (born 25 April 1953) is an Irish Catholic priest known for his interpretation of popular songs. He is the priest of St. Brigid′s & St. Mary′s parish at

Oldcastle, County Meath Oldcastle () is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is located in the north-west of the county near the border with Cavan, approximately 13 miles (21 km) from Kells. The R154 and R195 regional roads cross in the town's market square. As ...

, Ireland, and a member of

Saint Patrick’s Society for the Foreign Missions St. Patrick's Society for the Foreign Missions (Latin ''Societas Sancti Patritii pro Missionibus ad Exteros''; also known as the Kiltegan Fathers) is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men composed of missionary priest ...

. He was on dancing with the stars with Kylee Vincent. He has a very large family and he sang at many of his relatives and inlaws weddings.

Early life and priesthood

Kelly was born on 25 April 1953 in

Tyrrellspass Tyrrellspass (, IPA: �bʲaləxˈanˠˈtʲɪɾʲiəliː is a Georgian village in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is from Dublin, in the south of the county on the R446 (formerly the N6) road. Tyrrellspass won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition i ...

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

, and began singing when he was young. In 1989, he was ordained as a priest and began his vocation.

Music career

Kelly became famous in 2014 after a video of him singing

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

's song "

Hallelujah ''Hallelujah'' ( ; he, ''haləlū-Yāh'', meaning "praise Yah") is an interjection used as an expression of gratitude to God. The term is used 24 times in the Hebrew Bible (in the book of Psalms), twice in deuterocanonical books, and four tim ...

" while officiating at a couple's wedding became a

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

sensation. The words were modified to suit the occasion by 10-year-old bridesmaid Lucy Pitts O'Connor. By 2020, it had received more than 75 million hits. In December 2014

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

released a 10-track album ''Where I Belong'' of Kelly singing Celtic-inspired arrangements. The album was recorded during summer 2014 in a studio created for the purpose in Kelly's house, so that the recording schedule would not interfere with his duties as a priest. In December 2015 Kelly was a guest on the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

programme ''

Midweek ''MidWeek'' is a weekly United States tabloid shopper and advertisement periodical published in Honolulu, Hawaii and distributed throughout the Islands of Oahu and Kauai. It is owned by Black Press and is a sister publication of the ''Honolulu ...

''.

Television appearances

In 2018 Kelly auditioned for the 12th series of ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...

'', singing "

Everybody Hurts "Everybody Hurts" is a song by American rock band R.E.M. from their eighth studio album, ''Automatic for the People'' (1992), and released as a single in April 1993. It peaked at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top 10 ...

" by

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

He made it to the live shows but he was eliminated in semifinal 5. He came fourth in the public voting. In 2020, he took part in the fourth season of the Irish edition of ''Dancing with the Stars''. He and his professional partner, Kylee Vincent, were eliminated on 8 March 2020.

Discography

Albums

* ''Where I Belong'' (2014) * ''An Irish Christmas Blessing'' (2015)

Books

References

External links

Official website

Kelly's original YouTube video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Ray Living people 1953 births Britain's Got Talent contestants 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Musicians from County Westmeath 21st-century Irish Roman Catholic priests People from Oldcastle, County Meath