Breaking with tradition but still very much in tune

As the first Catholic organist at Westminister Abbey, James O’Donnell led the music for the royal wedding and Obama’s visit, writesMick Duggan

JAMES O’DONNELL is the first Catholic since the Reformation to hold the position of organist and master of the choristers at Westminster Abbey in London. Born in Dundee, Scotland in 1961, but raised in England, O’Donnell claims Irish descent, with roots in Co Roscommon.

In his office overlooking the great west door of Westminster Abbey, O’Donnell has planned the music for some great national and international occasions: last year’s royal wedding, the service of evening prayer attended by the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury, a visit by Barack Obama and many others.