The Mass of the Bells will be broadcast live from St Peter’s Church, Drogheda, on Sunday, November 23, marking a major cultural and spiritual celebration of the town’s history and its contribution to Irish Catholic life.
Composed by Michael Holohan, the Mass brings together music, memory and place, drawing deeply on Drogheda’s religious heritage. The work commemorates several significant anniversaries, including the 400th anniversary of the birth of St Oliver Plunkett, the town’s most famous son, and the 50th anniversary of his canonisation. It also honours the 50th anniversary of the death of Mother Mary Martin, founder of the Medical Missionaries of Mary.
At the heart of the composition is Drogheda’s distinctive 40-bell “bell tree”, first commissioned in the 1990s and now a powerful symbol of joy, hope and continuity. The premiere will feature 120 female singers from five choirs, a 50-piece orchestra, traditional Irish instruments and ancient horns, transforming St Peter’s Church into a space of shared remembrance and celebration.
Mr Holohan, who first encountered Drogheda’s musical traditions while working as an organist in the Augustinian Church in the 1980s, said the Mass reflects the town’s enduring spiritual character. “Life moves on, but spiritually the quest goes on,” he said.
The broadcast is being welcomed as a moment of civic and cultural pride for Drogheda and as a reminder of the rich intersection of faith, music and history in Irish life.
