Drogheda is set to take centre stage on RTE One this Sunday, 23rd November at 11am, as the national broadcaster airs the world premiere of The Mass of The Bells — a major new choral and orchestral composition by acclaimed Drogheda composer Michael Holohan, member of Aosdána.
The live broadcast from St Peter’s Catholic Church, West Street, marks the first large-scale choral and orchestral TV broadcast from Drogheda in three decades, following The Mass of Fire in 1995. The performance will celebrate two major anniversaries — the 400th anniversary of St Oliver Plunkett’s birth and the 50th anniversary of his canonisation, as well as the 50th anniversary of the death of Mother Mary Martin, founder of the Medical Missionaries of Mary.
Holohan composed The Mass of The Bells between 2024 and 2025, drawing inspiration from the lives of St Oliver Plunkett, patron saint of peace and reconciliation, and Mother Mary Martin, both of whom made profound contributions to Drogheda’s history and spiritual life. The work is written for female choir, soloists, and full symphony orchestra, featuring Réalta and the Voices of the Boyne, The Lourdes Youth Choir, members of The Augustinian Church Choir, and The Tredagh Singers.
Under Holohan’s musical direction and with support from Tadhg Murphy and The Drogheda Community Orchestra, the performance will feature over 200 performers, including local and national musicians, with professional artists from The National Symphony Orchestra and The RTE Concert Orchestra.
The televised Mass will include footage from Drogheda and key sites in Louth and Meath associated with St Oliver Plunkett. Produced by Kairos Communications TV and directed by Fr. Finbarr Tracey, the one-hour broadcast will reach audiences both nationally and internationally, portraying Drogheda as a vibrant centre of faith, music, and creativity.
The Mass of The Bells was composed using an intricate musical language inspired by Holohan’s former teacher, Olivier Messiaen, blending Irish traditional instruments — including the Bronze Age Ard Brinn Trumpet and River Erne Horn — with symphonic textures and the joyful sound of the 40 tubular chime bells of St Augustine’s Church, known as the “bell tree.”
Supported by Louth County Council, Meath County Council, the Mayor and Councillors of Drogheda, and the St Oliver Plunkett 400 Community Group, the project represents a proud cultural moment for the town and its people.
Holohan said the work is a “journey into hope and peace” — fitting tributes to two figures whose lives continue to inspire the spirit of Drogheda today.
