At an evening concert in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Protestants and Catholics joined under one roof to hear and sing ancient psalms set to centuries-old Celtic melodies. This event was more radical than you might think. Due to the lingering segregation between Protestants and Catholics, whose conflicted history dates back to the 1600s, the two groups seldom gather in a shared worship space. The evening of the concert brimmed with potential for healing and reconciliation as soulful psalms and melodies reminded us of our common humanity before God.
When my first call in 2007 sent me to serve as an assistant minister at a church just outside of Belfast, I looked forward to the music. In the denomination of my ordination, the PC(USA), we frequently sing hymns set to traditional Irish or Scottish melodies – favorites being the well-known “Be Thou My Vision” set to Slane, and more recently “The Canticle of the Turning” set to Star of the County Down. As an American, I have always loved Celtic melodies, many of which made their way to Appalachia and played an important role in shaping American traditional music. The airs are heartbreaking and uplifting, ethereal while also unpretentious, and they echo human experiences of love and longing poignantly. When I arrived in Northern Ireland, I expected to find a vast array of hymns set to traditional melodies, but instead, I found a dearth of this style of worship music and an unease with traditional Irish music in general from my fellow Protestants. Although I quickly became aware of this dynamic, it took me years to discover the reasons.
Neither community, it turns out, includes much traditional music in worship. Many Catholics believe it is too secular and belongs in the pubs, associating it with the raucous behavior historically condemned by clerics. Many Protestants say this music belongs to the Catholics; the tragic bombing of an Irish traditional music pub by a loyalist/Protestant paramilitary group in the ‘90s revealed this bias. Furthermore, during the 20th century’s movements toward Irish independence from Britain and its resultant violence, traditional music became co-opted for a time for that purpose. However, the stigma against traditional music seems to be lifting. In recent years, Christian musicians such as Keith and Kristen Getty (Protestant) and Liam Lawton (Catholic) have explored a traditional Irish sound in their worship music, eliciting positive response from both communities.
Psalms, like these melodies, are heartrending and joyful, heavenly while also earthy, and get to the core of human experiences of lament, yearning and praise. Love for the psalms in Ireland stems back to the monastic communities that peppered the island since the time of Patrick in the 5th century. Those early Christians recited them day and night, inscribing the prayers on their minds and hearts. The book of Psalms is the most timeless prayerbook we have. It cuts away barriers between people because each of us can connect, in one way or another, to its prayers. In post-conflict Northern Ireland, the psalms provide common ground – a part of faith life that crosses dividing lines. We can share in our praise of the Creator. We can share in our thirst for God’s presence. We can share in our deep sadness over the hurts of life. We can share in our hope – a hope in something beyond what we can see.
On the evening of the concert, we caught a glimpse of God’s kingdom. As the setting sun cast warm light on those present, dividing walls began to silently crumble to the ground. We could see more clearly our common humanity: our shared joy, hope and lament… and our longing for the God who created us all.
KIRAN YOUNG WIMBERLY, a Presbyterian minister, recorded the album “Celtic Psalms” in Belfast in 2013, along with the McGrath family of Roman Catholic background. The CD features psalms set to traditional Irish and Scottish melodies. celticpsalms.com
