An Irish pub singer has begun to include Mass hymns in his musical gigs along with cover versions and original material.
Paul Luby, 27, who hails from County Offaly in Ireland and now lives in Australia, told EWTN News that the Irish twentysomethings he plays to in bars in Sydney and Perth connect instantly with the songs, singing along and demonstrating that their Catholic upbringing is still present.
Luby even went viral recently after a recording of him singing “Here I Am, Lord” was posted on Instagram.
Luby played in bands when he was younger, performing Irish traditional music and Irish ballads. After studying English and Media at Maynooth University and moving to Sydney, he landed an ongoing gig at a place called Frank Macs.
“I was playing there a lot,” he said. “The Irish crowds would come in there, people from every part of Ireland. It was always jam-packed, and you start blasting Irish tunes.”
Luby’s idea to play “Here I Am Lord” in a Sydney pub packed with Gen Zers was rooted in memories of childhood.
“When I was growing up, my mother and father were very religious, and went to Mass every Sunday,” he told EWTN News. “I went too. I joined a choir when I was in school; we used to sing Mass hymns. They would be ingrained into you, and you just know the words.”
Luby said that when he went to college, he “tried best to keep up Mass” but it wasn’t as much as he would have liked. “I think definitely since the song kicked off and went viral, I definitely have connected more with my faith.”
He added: “I [grew] up with these hymns. At my last Sydney gig, I played with a great banjo player called Jackie, who was like, ‘Do you want to try anything different, because it’s your last gig?’ I said, “Actually, I do, I have a Mass tune, do you know, ‘Here I Am Lord’? He’s like, ‘Of course I don’t.’”
Luby said everyone loved it. “I couldn’t believe singing the chorus, everyone was singing it right back to me. It was definitely the song of the night. It surprised me and went from there.”
When the musician woke up the next morning, a video of the gig had 500,000 views.
Luby then posted other cover versions of popular hymns like “Our Lady of Knock” and “Amazing Grace,” under the theme of “Bangers and Mass.” (Editor’s note: “Bangers” are a traditional Irish pork sausage.)
“It’s a niche thing; nobody else is doing it. I thought I would put them up. People do remember Mass tunes and connect with them ... they don’t really have to be properly into their faith to connect to these tunes. I’m a devout Catholic anyway, I’d never disrespect the hymns, I’ve just sped them up a bit.”
Luby has recorded “Here I Am, Lord” and plans to release it on Spotify before St. Patrick’s Day. He’s been interviewed on Today FM, one of Ireland’s largest radio stations, and attracted wider interest.
“There was one priest who reached out to me from Houston. He’s a singer, he just said, ‘Look, you’re doing a great job, and it’s definitely resonating for a lot of people.’”
Luby said he is “just like any other artist trying to get noticed” and hopes he will get some exposure for his original tunes.
“One I wrote for my dad called ‘To Be Okay’ before I went to Australia. He had cancer and went through treatment. He came out at the end of it, thank God, he’s OK, but I wrote that for him, and I’m really proud of that tune.”
His dad is also clearly proud of his son. “He’s said to my sister, ‘What? He’s getting a few million views for singing Mass tunes?’ He’s been going into Dunnes Stores telling people that his son’s gone viral.”
Luby intends to continue doing hymns. “I think they’re great tunes, but more than that, they’re meant to be sung together, you know? And in that room, in Frank Macs in Sydney, they were all sung together, everyone felt a part of something. You have your Irish culture and that, but that brought back everyone’s faith as well. I think you don’t even need to be practicing your faith, you know, to feel something towards those hymns. So, I think it’s really something for people — even if their relationship with their faith is complicated — I think it just goes to show you everyone is connected somehow.”
He added: “My goal is to bring people joy, and I always said on my gigs, if I can even make one person dance or sing, my job is done ... So I think it’s nice when you’re intertwining [that with] the faith.”