Thousands gather in Guildhall Square for mass recording of 'Danny Boy'

As part of Music City, a day-long musical extravaganza in Derry, thousands of people joined in a mass live recording of Danny Boy in Guildhall Square.

Singers of all ages and abilities packed into the square on Friday for the mass performance, which was led on stage by Donal Doherty and his internationally acclaimed Codetta Choir, accompanied by the award-winning St Patrick’s Pennyburn Primary School choir, the Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year.

The Derry Journal reports that the performance was an unofficial world record attempt at the largest mass recording of the beloved song, which has been recorded by acts such as Elvis Presley, The Pogues and The Muppets, to name a few.

The outdoor performance was also arranged to toast the 100th anniversary of the lyricist of the song, Frederic Weatherly who penned the song in 1913 to fit the rhyme and meter of the "Derry Air."

The tune of ‘The Londonderry Air’ is credited to Jane Ross of Limavady after she collected the melody from a musician she encountered in the mid-19th Century.

Following the performance, Donal Doherty said the event was “another milestone in this magnificent City of Culture year."

Peter Hutcheon, of the Culture Company, called the event a “fantastic success."