Fr Ray bows out of Britain's Got Talent with grace

Fr Ray Kelly from Oldcastle did Ireland proud in tonight's live semi final of Britain's Got Talent.

The singing priest just missed out on a place in the live finals this Sunday night despite a solid performance that head judge Simon Cowell described as "powerful" and "glorious".

Simon Cowell had been a big fan of Fr Ray since his first audition on Britain's biggest TV talent show when he blew away the judges and the audience with his emotional rendition of REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’. That video audition has been viewed close to 6M times on the BGT You-Tube Channel.

Asked by the Celt this week if he had any plans to go on tour, Fr Ray said that he would consider taking a sabattical from his ministry as he had never taken one. “It’s something I would have to work out with my bishop,” he said.
Fr Ray is no stranger to Celt readers. In April 2014, Fr Ray surprised a couple on their wedding day by singing a version of ‘Hallelujah’ from the altar. The video went viral online and has been watched over 61.5 million times and resulted in a Late Late Show appearance.

For full interview with Fr Ray following his BGT journey, see next week's Anglo-Celt