Christmas Eve Mass from Ashbourne to be beamed across Europe

This Christmas Ashbourne will be saying ‘Joyeux Noel’ to Europe, as the Christmas Eve Mass from the Church of the Immaculate Conception will be broadcast live on RTE Television and across Europe as part of the Eurovision project. 

This Mass will be celebrated by Fr Derek Darby and the church choir, with musical director Giovanna Feeley, have been practising for the last few weeks in oder to add extra sparkle to their already polished repertoire.  Mass will start at the later time of 11pm, to facilitate its being broadcast on the European Broadcasting Union satellite system, to France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and other countries taking the feed as part of the European television exchange network, better know as Eurovision. 

Kairos Communications Ltd, based in Maynooth, will be on site at the church from early that morning, rigging cables, setting lights and microphones and preparing the church for what will be a very special Christmas night. 

Already an introductory video showing the town and its surroundings has been filmed and will be transmitted at the start of the broadcast. This three minute clip will feature shots from around Ashbourne as well as Killegland Cemetery, the senior citizens group and also some of the students from St. Declan’s NS who were filmed at the school early in December. The short film introduces a flavour of the town and indeed the County of Meath for the European viewers, of whom, it is estimated, there could be over two million.

There will be a crew of 21 involved in the transmission of the Mass and both the parish and the production team are looking forward to beaming the bright face of Ashbourne to Europe on Christmas night 

This is the second time that the Kairos Outside Broadcast unit has transmitted Christmas Mass to Europe from Meath, as last year they were in Kilmessan for the celebrations.

The Mass will also air simultaneously on RTE Radio and the MD of Kairos Communications, Fr Finbarr Tracey is delighted to be back in the Royal County for Christmas and is also full of enthusiasm for the work being done by the parish and its choir.

"I have heard the choir several times now in advance of the broadcast and they seem to be getting better and better every time, I am certain they will send a very beautiful sound across the airwaves on Christmas night," he says.

‘Eurovision Mass for Christmas Eve’ will be live on RTE 1 and across Europe on the Eurovision network on Christmas Eve from 11pm and also live on the radio on RTE Radio 1. It will also be available live on the RTE Player.