Sheep’s Head parish to stream Christmas Day Mass globally
There will only be about 250 people in the congregation at the Our Lady Star of the Sea church in Kilcrohane, in the parish of Muintir Bháire on Christmas morning. But their ranks will be swelled by large crowds expected to log on remotely from all over the world, once the Mass goes out live on Youtube from about 11.30am.
Viewers from as far away as Tasmania in Australia, Singapore, the United States, Britain, Belgium, France and all over Ireland are expected to join in the candle-lit ceremony taking place in what is believed to be one of Ireland’s most remote churches, built in the 1890s on the remote Sheep’s Head peninsula.
“The entire Mass will be streamed live on the internet,” said Fr Gerard Galvin, parish priest of Muintir Bháire.
He said the village choir, attired in festive red cloaks and supported by children from the local schools, will sing a range of traditional carols as well as a gospel version of .
The candle-lit church will be festively decorated with papier maché lanterns, garlands and Christmas bunting and, at the end of the hour-long ceremony, worshippers can speak directly to camera by microphone to give their Christmas messages to loved ones far away.
“We did this last year for the first time and we reached people all over the world — we got hits from Tasmania, Australia, Singapore, the US and the UK and all over Ireland as well as Belgium and France and probably also many more!
“Most of the people who logged on for the Mass were emigrants, “ said Fr Galvin, adding that others were the owners of holiday homes locally.
Some of the remote viewers would be getting up in the early hours of the morning in their part of the world, in order to log in to the special Christmas Mass he said.
“Part of the fabric of rural communities is the ritual of going to Mass on Christmas Day and this system affords people who may be away, an opportunity to be there both in spirit and visually on the day.
“It’s about reaching out across the oceans to loved ones who are far away and sharing this special Christmas celebration with them, despite the thousands of miles that separate us.”
The Mass can be accessed on Youtube by typing in Kilcrohane Church or by visiting www.streamingservices.ie
