Father figures: Singing priests eye Xmas No 1

THREE Irish priests are going for the record industry’s holy grail — a Christmas No 1.

The trio of fortysomethings who minister in parishes in the north have been signed up by Sony BMG, who are keen to tap into a global market of 1.1 billion Catholics.

“The Priests” are made up of Fr Eugene O’Hagan, 48, from Ballyclare, his brother Fr Martin O’Hagan, 45, from Cushendun, and their old school friend, Fr David Delargy, 44, from Hannahstown.

Their debut album goes on sale in 32 countries on November 24.

An indication of their potential popularity is demonstrated by the fact that a clip of the trio performing at the Vatican spent several weeks as YouTube’s most-watched clip globally.

“I suppose people are searching for an oasis in the midst of that fast flow of business,” was Fr Martin O’Hagan’s explanation.

Fr Eugene O’Hagan went on to tell Sky News that as well as spreading the message, the album solves a long-running problem.

“Friends of ours had often been saying, ‘Have you got a CD, have you got a record?’ and we’d often said, ‘No, we don’t really have them’.

“So way in the back of our minds, that was an aspiration we had,” he said.

Despite the CD and the record deal, the priests insist their day job comes first and to prove the point turned down a lucrative tour in America on the grounds it would take them away from their parishes for too long.

And even though they are label mates with Justin Timberlake and AC/DC, these new music stars have no rock star demands.

Where others would ask for personal assistants and private jets, these three have more modest requirements.

“Maybe a little bottle of water would be nice to keep the throat lubricated,” says Fr Delargy. “And if we’re really pushing the boat out,” laughs Fr Eugene O’Hagan, “maybe, sparkling water”.