Michael McFarland Campbell writes hymns, prayers, and liturgical texts shaped by the landscapes of Ireland, the rhythms of the Church’s year, and the lived experience of ordinary holiness. His work is grounded in musicality, clarity, and a deep attentiveness to the communities who will sing or pray these words.
This page gathers his hymn collections, ongoing projects, and selected liturgical writing.
A Pilgrim’s Psalter of Earth and Light
Psalm‑inspired hymns rooted in Irish landscape, saints, and Celtic symbolism
A Pilgrim’s Psalter of Earth and Light is a growing collection of hymns inspired by the Psalms and re‑imagined through the lens of Irish landscape and Celtic spirituality. These texts weave together ancient themes with the quiet holiness of daily life.
Published:
- Book 1: Psalms 1–25 | Buy on lulu.com
In development:
- Further volumes continuing through the Psalter
A Living Cloud of Irish Witnesses
Hymns inspired by the ancient Celtic saints
This developing collection honours the saints who shaped the early Irish Church — Brigid, Patrick, Columba, and many others whose stories continue to echo through the landscape. These hymns draw on hagiography, place, and the distinctive spirituality of Celtic Christianity, offering texts that are both historically attentive and spiritually alive.
The Mindful Year: Hymns for Christmastide
Hymns written during Christmas 2025, first published on NeuroDivine.blog
The Mindful Year: Hymns for Christmastide gathers hymns shaped by presence, gentleness, and contemplative noticing. These texts explore the Incarnation through the lens of neurodiversity and mindful spirituality.
Buy on lulu.com
This is the first volume in a wider project, The Mindful Year, which has scope to grow into other seasons and feasts.
Individual Hymns & Liturgical Texts
Alongside his collections, Michael writes standalone hymns, prayers, and liturgical texts for parish, diocesan, and ecumenical use. His work includes:
- Hymns for Irish saints and local commemorations
- Seasonal hymns for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time
- Prayers, litanies, and blessings
- Texts for special occasions and community celebrations
These pieces are shaped by careful attention to metre, musical suitability, and the pastoral needs of worshipping communities.
A curated selection of individual hymns and liturgical texts will be added here as they are prepared for publication.
Choosing Tunes for Michael’s Hymns
Michael’s hymn texts are written with careful attention to metre, rhythm, and natural speech patterns, allowing them to be sung to a wide range of well‑known hymn tunes. Each text is crafted to sit comfortably within familiar metrical structures, making it easy for worshipping communities to pair the words with tunes they already know and love. Where a particular tune strongly shaped the writing of a hymn, this will be noted — but in most cases, musicians and congregations are encouraged to choose tunes that best suit their local context, musical tradition, and pastoral needs. Flexibility is part of the design: the aim is always to support singing that feels natural, prayerful, and rooted in community.
Using Michael’s Hymns
Michael’s hymn texts are written for use in worshipping communities. If you would like to use a hymn in parish liturgy, diocesan events, or ecumenical gatherings, you are warmly welcome to do so. For permissions relating to publication, recording, or wider distribution, please get in touch through the Contact page.
Michael McFarland Campbell 