Derry homecoming concert to raise funds for Long Tower Church

From the ‘Von Hagans’ to Thin Lizzy, light opera to liturgical song; Fr Martin O’Hagan rewinds the musical odyssey behind The Priests’ global success ahead of a joint homecoming concert with soprano Margaret Keys.

A parish priest of Comber in Newtonards, Co Down, Fr Martin O’Hagan didn’t forget his Derry roots on migration to the shores of Strangford Lough.

Sharing a “beautiful” connection between these ancient monastic sites in the Colmcille familia, he explained Comber’s links to St Finian, tutor of Colmcille and the influential abbey of Movilla.

For it was the scholarly, spiritual, sometimes conflicted relationship between these two charismatic holymen, that changed the destiny of these islands forever.

“We know from the ancient annals that Colmcille studied here under St Finian,” he said. He kept a pet crane during his time here!

“The greatest concentration of Medieval monasteries in Ireland was here in north Down.

“Our church of Comber is close to the ruins of a 13th century Dominican abbey, always known as the Priory of St Colmcille.

“So I’m a big devotee of Colmcille and also St Finian. It was Finian who went to Rome and brought back a copy of the Old Testament and the Gospels.

The boys are back in town with must-see concert of the year!

Homecoming: The Priests and Margaret Keys Derry concert to raise funds for Long Tower Church

“Our abbey here, St Finian’s abbey, existed before Bangor!” he adds betraying just a hint of ecclesiastical pride.

“I recently commissioned a new icon for our church here – a triptych bearing St Mochaoi, St Finian and St Colmcille – for Mochaoi was the tutor of Finian, and Finian the tutor of Colmcille. Mochaoi founded a monastery on the island of Nendrum in Strangford Lough.

“We have great devotion to St Colmcille in this part of the world. But I don’t believe in general, that we appreciate or celebrate Columba’s legacy as we should. It was so wide-ranging, his influence, for example, on the liturgy alone was profound.

“We, in this modern world, face many of the same challenges Columba did. Despite bitter regrets, he moves forward trusting in God forgiveness.

“In the cloisters of our own mind today we are invited to find that sense of peace and with God’s help, unravel the knots of our own lives.

“That’s certainly been our experience as priests and as people and learning, music and above all, keeping Christ at the centre, is a big part of that.”

In a nod to his local roots, Fr Martin requested the icon writer add a final imprimatur: “ ‘Please add in some oak leaves’, I said. “The chances of having a parish priest from Derry here in the future will be slim I think.”