The cancellation of a Nathan Carter concert in County Roscommon was a missed opportunity to “bring people back into the church”, a local councillor has argued.
The country music star was due to St Joseph's Church in Boyle in December; however, a new parish priest decided that he did not want the concert to take place and the event was cancelled.
On The Claire Byrne Show, independent Councillor Tom Crosby said he is “very disappointed” and described it as a “backward step” for the community.
“I've attended concerts in the church and like I certainly wouldn't be agreeable to a type of disco music or anything like that but I think Nathan Carter, Tommy Fleming, people like that,” he said.
“It would be very appropriate and I think it would bring people, if you connect the church, what's happening here, I think it's maybe distancing people that are not attending church now.
“This was a lovely opportunity, maybe, to bring people back into the church.”
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Also on the programme, Father Joe McGrath from County Cavan, who previously went viral at a wedding singing Wonderwall, said he believes the church can coexist with musicians.
“Sit down with Nathan Carter and say, ‘Look Nathan, this is the house of God, it's very sacred to us, we love your coming, you're very welcome to come to the church but respect that this is the house of God’,” he suggested.
“He's not exactly going to be anti-Christian or anti-community or anti-life - this is Christmas time, he'll be bringing people together.”
Fr McGrath added that the church is facing “ferocious change” in Ireland and reaching out to local communities is the “least we can do”.
“As people welcome us, so we welcome them,” he said.
“There's a country music festival where I am in Mullahoran every summer - a massive country music festival in the parish and the first thing they do to open the country music festival every single year in Mullahoran is they invite me down to celebrate mass.
“People who are coming for the weekend, local people, they come to, we go down, we do the mass in the concert venue where all the dancing and the singing and the music is going to be taking place for this mighty weekend.”
However, he did caution that all performances need to be respectful to the congregation and building they perform in.
“The world is so divided,” he said.
“Anything that brings people together, anything that creates a bit of Christmas cheer.
“I'm pretty certain that if Nathan Carter was in that church at Christmas, there are going to be Christmas hymns, Christmas songs, Christmas melodies sung. He's going, as well as his other stuff.
“You know, you're relying on Nathan Carter to be sensible too.”
Main image: Nathan Carter. Picture by: Alamy.com.
