Cornelius "Neil" Horan, sometimes referred to as The Grand Prix Priest, The Dancing Priest, or The Armageddon Priest (born 22 April 1947), is a laicised Irish former

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

who is noted for his interference with the running of the 2003 British Grand Prix and the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

men's

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

in order to promote his religious belief that the end times are near. He was arrested and spent some time in jail in Germany in 2006 when police found out about his plans to stage a pro-Nazi demonstration during the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

, which included a poster he made praising

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

. Horan went on to appear on '' Britain's Got Talent'' in May 2009. He danced a soft jig on the show, received a standing ovation by the audience and was put through to the second round. He did not make the live semi-finals. In 2017, he showed his support outside court for disgraced entertainer

Rolf Harris Rolf Harris (30 March 1930 – 10 May 2023) was an Australian musician, television personality, painter, and actor. He used a variety of instruments in his performances, notably the didgeridoo and the Stylophone, and is credited with the inventi ...

. In 2022, he protested against

Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. Following his defeat to Keir Starmer's La ...

becoming

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

with a placard saying "Britain is a Christian country, it should have a Christian Prime Minister - not a Hindu one."

Early life and the priesthood

The second of 13 children born to Catherine (née Kelly) and John Horan, he is a native of Knockeenahone, Scartaglen in

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

. He currently lives in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He studied to be a priest at St. Brendan's College, Killarney and St Peter's College, WexfordHoran plans trip to Brazil to say sorry
''Irish Independent'', 25. November 2004 and was ordained in 1973.

Incidents

2003 British Grand Prix

On 20 July 2003, Horan ran across the track at the

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

British Grand Prix at

Silverstone Circuit Silverstone Circuit is a motor racing circuit in England, near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. It is the home of the British Grand Prix, which it first hosted as the 1948 British Grand Prix. The 1950 British Grand ...

, wearing an orange

skirt A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are ...

and waving a religious banner, which stated "Read the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

. The Bible is always right". His protest took place on the Hangar Straight. Several drivers had to swerve to avoid him and the

safety car In motorsport, a safety car, or a pace car, is a car that limits the speed of competing cars or motorcycles on a racetrack in the case of a ''caution period,'' such as an obstruction on the track or bad weather. The safety car aims to enable the ...

had to be deployed to protect him and the competitors. Horan was tackled by

track marshal Motorsport marshals are mainly volunteer workers responsible for the safety of motor racing competitors. They are stationed at various points of danger around race tracks to assist them in case of any collisions, accidents or track problems. Ma ...

Stephen Green, who removed Horan from the track before he was arrested. He was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, aggravated trespass and sentenced to two months

imprisonment Imprisonment or incarceration is the restraint of a person's liberty for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is considered " false imprisonment". Impri ...

2004 Epsom Derby

At the 5 June 2004

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, more commonly known as the Derby and sometimes referred to as the Epsom Derby, is a Group races, Group 1 flat Horse racing, horse race in England open to three-year-old Colt (horse), colts and Filly, fillies. It is run at Ep ...

, Horan was spotted by police and shoved to the ground moments before they believed he was about to run in front of the horses.Tim Ashton
''Police arrest priest at Derby race meet''
newsshopper.co.uk, 15 June 2004 He was later released without charges, although police did circulate information about Horan to other sporting events. The following year a court order prevented him coming within two miles of the racecourse.

2004 Summer Olympics men's marathon

In spite of tight security at the 2004 Athens Olympics due to fears of a

terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...

, on 29 August Horan (who had flown to Athens earlier that day) was able to run onto the course of the men's marathon event near the mark, carrying placards on his back and front. Horan pushed Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima, who was leading the race, into the crowds alongside the course. After a few seconds Horan was hauled off the shaken runner by Greek spectator Polyvios Kossivas. Kossivas subdued Horan and helped de Lima up and back to the lane. Horan was promptly arrested by Greek police, who were later criticized for not giving runners adequate protection. Following the encounter with Horan, De Lima suffered from leg cramps and muscle pain, although he continued running and completed the race. He lost about 10 seconds from his 25-second lead and finished third, after being passed by Italian

Stefano Baldini Stefano Baldini (born 25 May 1971 in Castelnovo di Sotto, Emilia-Romagna, Italy) is a retired Italian runner who specialized in the marathon. He was the Olympic champion in Athens in 2004 and was twice European champion (1998 and 2006). Biogr ...

and American Mebrahtom Keflezighi at the mark. De Lima later commented that "I think that the psychological shock was the greatest impact that I suffered. To be attacked like that, it was painful. I was totally defenseless and exhausted." The head of the

Brazilian Athletics Confederation The Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAt; ''Confederação Brasileira de Atletismo'') is the governing body for the sport of athletics in Brazil. President for the period 2013-2016 is José Antonio Martins Fernandes. History CBAt w ...

launched an

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which Legal case, cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of cla ...

based on the controversy surrounding Horan's interference in the marathon. The federation asked that de Lima also be awarded a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

, citing precedents set in past Olympic matches where extenuating circumstances have led to more than one winner in certain sports. This request was denied. Horan was given a 12-month suspended sentence by a Greek court and fined

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

3,000. Although he could have been sentenced to up to five years' imprisonment, the judge gave him a suspended sentence due to his mental state. Horan's brother commented that he had gotten away "scot-free".

World Cup 2006

During the

in Germany, Horan was arrested by German police before he could stage a planned protest. He had written to German Chancellor,

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...

, and ''The Kingdom'' newspaper in

, Ireland, informing them that he planned to dance a peace jig outside the stadium in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

before the World Cup final. He told ''The Kingdom'' he would carry posters declaring "Adolf Hitler was a good leader who was following the word of Christ", give the

Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute, or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. The salute is performed by extending the right arm from the shoulder into the air with a straightened han ...

and light a candle for Hitler at the Gestapo headquarters. He spent two months in custody awaiting trial but was released on 15 September 2006 when the judge discharged the case.

St Mary's Hospital

During the waiting period outside the front door of St Mary's Hospital's Lindo Wing in west London before

Prince William William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his p ...

's first child was born in July 2013, Horan appeared in front of media with a sign proclaiming "

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

is very probably the last monarch of Britain" on one side, and "Queen Elizabeth is very probably foretold in the Bible" on the other. He handed out his business card, which read "Neil Horan, the Britain's Got Talent Irish Dancer. I perform at Weddings. My Mission in Life is to help prepare the world for the

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christianity, Christian and Islam, Islamic belief that Jesus, Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his Ascension of Jesus, ascension to Heaven (Christianity), Heav ...

David Norris letter

During campaigning ahead of the

2011 Irish presidential election The 2011 Irish presidential election was the thirteenth presidential election to be held in Ireland, and was contested by a record seven candidates. It was held on Thursday, 27 October 2011. The election was held to elect a successor to Mary ...

, Senator David Norris's past came under scrutiny. ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' reported that it had seen a letter in which Norris had politely responded to Horan thanking him for his pamphlet on "various Messianic prophecies". Norris admitted in the letter, "To be honest I haven't really read it in detail yet", but said that he would put his "feet up and read it with great interest" when he returned from a trip to Berlin. He added, "I will then pass it on to my aunt who is just 100 and has always taken a keen interest in this kind of material."

Reactions

Dismissal from priesthood

In 2004, Horan was found not guilty of indecent assault against a seven-year-old girl in 1991. Although he admitted that he was naked while the girl tickled him and while they played

hide-and-seek Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chosen playe ...

, during the court case he also claimed to own only one pair of tight-fitting green satin underpants that have never been washed as he needs them to 'always be ready for use', at one point Horan produced the pants from his pocket to show the jury. On 20 January 2005,

Kevin McDonald Kevin Hamilton McDonald (born May 16, 1961) is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television and film productions, most notably the 1988–1 ...

, the

Archbishop of Southwark The Archbishop of Southwark (''Br'' �sʌðɨk is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark. As such, he is the Metropolitan of the Province of Southwark. The archdiocese has an area of and covers the London Boroughs south o ...

, laicised Horan, who had not worked as a priest for 10 years for health reasons including depression. Horan later made the following statement to the press: "I completely reject this decision. I appeal to the much higher court of heaven and the court of Jesus Christ ... I now cannot preach, I cannot give out Communion - I am little more than a pagan."

Legal restraints

On 13 April 2007, Horan was served with an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) banning him from entering, on the day of the race, any of the

London borough The London boroughs are the current 32 districts of England, local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London, England; each is governed by a London borough council. The present ...

s that the course of the

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

passed through.

Other appearances

Horan auditioned for Series 3 of ''Britain's Got Talent'' in 2009 (airing 16 May) performing an Irish jig in traditional costume. The judges put Horan through to the second round. He was allowed to perform on the show because the producers "did not know" who he was. The makers of the show,

TalkbackThames Talkback Thames is a British television production company, a division of FremantleMedia (now Fremantle), part of the RTL Group, which in turn is owned by Bertelsmann. It was formed by the merger of Talkback Productions and Thames Television. T ...

and

Syco Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment and production company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2 ...

, defended showing Horan's audition on the show. Horan then appeared on ''

The Ray D'Arcy Show ''The Ray D'Arcy Show'' is the title given to two differing versions of a radio programme hosted by Ray D'Arcy, originally broadcast on Irish commercial radio station Today FM from the late 1990s until 2014 before transferring in February 201 ...

'' on Today FM and revealed that he did not get through to the next stage.

References

External links

Ex-priest admits Grand Prix invasion
BBC, 11 August 2003
Protester ruins marathon
BBC, 29 August 2004
Sport disrupting priest defrocked
BBC, 20 January 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Horan, Neil 1947 births 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Britain's Got Talent contestants Christian clergy from County Kerry Formula One people Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Laicized Roman Catholic priests Living people People educated at St Peter's College, Wexford pt:Anexo:Lista de celebridades instantâneas#Cornelius Horan