Faith of Our Fathers
Compilation album by
Released21 October 1996[1]
Recorded1996
GenreChristian
LanguageEnglish, Latin, Irish
LabelLunar (Ireland)
ProducerJohn Kearns, Bill Somerville-Large
Singles from Faith Of Our Fathers
  1. "Faith of Our Fathers"
    Released: 1996

Faith of Our Fathers (subtitled Classic Religious Anthems of Ireland)[2] is a compilation album of traditional Catholic/Christian English, Irish, and Latin hymns recorded by Irish artists in 1996.

The album topped the Irish Albums Chart for two months,[3] broke release records,[4] and was certified fifteen times-platinum.[5] The nineteenth-century hymn "Faith of Our Fathers" is the title track.

Origins

The album was the idea of a broker, John Kearns, working for Hibernian Insurance.[1][6] Funding included contributions from his coworkers.[7] Several labels turned Kearns down before Lunar records agreed to produce the album.[1]

Artists

The album was produced by Bill Somerville-Large and overseen by musical director John Tate.[6] Tenor Frank Patterson, soprano Regina Nathan, the Monks of Glenstal Abbey, youth choir RTÉ Cór na nÓg, and the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir made contributions to the album.[6][8] It was recorded over five sessions in venues that included the Aula Maxima at Maynooth College in County Kildare and Glenstal Abbey in County Limerick.[6]

Track listing

Legacy

With sales of over 150,000 copies,[1] the album was the biggest-selling release in Ireland in 1996,[2] and it became Ireland's biggest-selling album of all-time by 1998.[9] Sales in Ireland stand at 200,000 copies as of November 1997.[10] It launched the recording career of Monks of Glenstal Abbey.[2] Peter Lennon compared its popularity to that of Riverdance.[3] The success of the record led the album's promoters to arrange concert performances in the Dublin's Point Depot and New York City's Carnegie Hall.[7][11][12]

A Faith of Our Fathers II album was released in 1997,[13] which inspired the name of Dustin the Turkey's Christmas album Faith of Our Feathers.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Pogatchnik, Shawn (4 January 1997). "Religious CD tops Irish chart". Kokomo Tribune. p. 4. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Music news & notes: Chanting Monks". The Record. Bergen County, New Jersey. p. 67 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Lennon, Peter (27 November 1996). "Play it Again, Father". The Guardian – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Pollak, Andy (9 November 1996). "A blast from a past of celebrity and grandeur". The Irish Times.
  5. ^ "John Kearns - Extraordinary Venture, the Faith of Our Fathers Story (Book & DVD)". CDWorld.ie. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d Stewart, Ken (9 November 1996). "Lunar Records Hymn Collection a Surprising Irish Hit". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 44, 49 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ a b Kearns, John (2006). Extraordinary Venture: The Faith Of Our Fathers Story. Foreign Media Music. ISBN 9789087340025.
  8. ^ Taylor, Richie (19 December 1996). "`Miracle Singer' Frank's Thanks from Yanks". Irish Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019.
  9. ^ Faucher, Michael (23 November 1998). "Patterson's Irish tenor soars at Auditorium". Lowell Sun. Retrieved 31 May 2019 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  10. ^ Stewart, Ken (29 November 1997). "Global Music Pulse – Ireland". Billboard. p. 51. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  11. ^ Allen, John (25 January 1997). "Faith Of Our Fathers". The Irish Times.
  12. ^ White, Declan (19 January 1997). "The Biz; It's Ireland's Hottest Showbusiness". Irish Sunday Mirror. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019.
  13. ^ "Faith of Our Fathers II: Classic Religious Anthems of Ireland". discogs.com. Zink Media LLC. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  14. ^ Murphy, Mary J (28 November 1997). "Country Music Scene". City Tribune (Connaught Tribune Galway edition). p. 10. Dustin's own album is currently available in the shops and is cleverly titled "Faith of Our Feathers" [..] but its contents are a world apart from the actual "Faith of Our Fathers II"

External links

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