An Irish man has found fame, and maybe even fortune, as his take on an old Catholic hymn has gone viral on social media.
Paul Luby, who is originally from Offaly but now lives in Perth, Western Australia, is a musician whose unique take on the usually sombre hymn ‘Be Not Afraid’ has gone viral on social media, with the 27-year-old now planning to record some other hymns he remembers from childhood mass on a Sunday.
Paul spoke to Oliver Callan on his radio show on RTE Radio 1 this morning (Tuesday) and revealed how it all came about and what he makes of the popularity of the old hymns we used to hear only in church on a Sunday.
Chatting to Oliver about his newfound fame, Paul said he originally went to Australia for one year with some friends, but ended up loving the place, getting a few gigs in pubs, and finding himself still there four years later.
Settling in Sydney for the first three and a half years, just two months ago, Paul made the move across the country to the West Coast city of Perth, where he says there are plenty of Irish people around, easily recognisable by the ‘big pale heads on them’.
Paul explained that he is a mass goer and heard the old hymn ‘Here I am, Lord’ during a Sunday mass in Perth, and decided to add it to his repertoire for one of his pub gigs.
The pub was full of Irish people, and to his surprise, Paul said the whole pub joined in the hymn’s chorus, which he sang at a faster pace with an added drumbeat in the background.
His version of this hymn and others quickly went viral and are now available to download on Spotify.
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