Moya Brennan obit

Irish musician Moya Brennan dies aged 73

 

She was not on the list.

Moya Brennan, best known as the lead singer of the Grammy and BAFTA-winning group Clannad, died peacefully yesterday, surrounded by her family, at the age of 73.

An Irish music icon, the Celtic folk singer, songwriter and harpist from Gaoth Dobhair in the Donegal Gaeltacht, recorded more than 30 albums and sold millions of records worldwide.

The eldest of nine children in the renowned Ó Braonáin family, Moya (née Máire Ní Bhraonáin) came to prominence when she began performing with her family in Clannad.

Moya and her siblings, Pól and Ciarán, along with their twin uncles Noel (1949-2022) and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin (1949-2016), started performing regularly in the family pub in Mín na Leice.

The band, formed in 1970, became one of the world's foremost traditional Irish acts, and Moya's melodic tones brought them global acclaim.

After winning the Letterkenny Folk Festival in 1973, they embarked on a touring schedule, finding initial success in Europe, especially Germany.

Their music blended Irish traditional songs with contemporary influences of the day, such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Mamas and the Papas, and Joni Mitchell.

Their breakthrough, and the beginning of worldwide acclaim, came in 1982 when their theme song for the TV miniseries Harry's Game became an international hit, and it brought Irish-language music to a global audience.

Written for the TV drama, which was set against the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Harry's Game became a UK chart success. Clannad also became the first band to perform in Irish on Top of the Pops, where their haunting harmonies drew global attention.

The song won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Television Soundtrack, was subsequently featured in the film Patriot Games, and formed part of a Volkswagen advertising campaign in the US.

Moya also hosted Music of Ireland: Welcome Home, which won a New York Emmy in 2011 in the Entertainment: Program/Special category.

Clannad's style became synonymous with Celtic music, blending traditional and original songs with modern arrangements, harmonies and new age sounds.

Subsequent studio albums and soundtrack work for television and films followed, along with BAFTA, Grammy and Billboard awards.

Moya's sister Eithne, also known as Enya, spent several years with Clannad before pursuing a solo career.

Clannad's music also featured in film and television, including The Last of the Mohicans, The Angel and the Soldier Boy, Robin of Sherwood, Message in a Bottle and A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.

Some of Clannad's albums included Crann Úll, Fuaim, Macalla, Sirius, Anam, Banba, Ring of Gold, Landmarks and Rogha.

A final studio album, Nádúr, was released in 2013.

Moya also enjoyed a career as a solo singer, beginning with her 1992 album Máire. She published an autobiography, The Other Side of the Rainbow, in 2000.

From an early age, she was steeped in the traditions of the Irish language.

Her father, Leo Ó Braonáin, was the leader of the Slieve Foy travelling showband, and her mother, Máire 'Baba' Uí Bhraonáin (née Ní Dhúgáin), taught music and ran the local choir.

While Moya performed with many acclaimed artists, she remained a familiar presence in Teach Leo in West Donegal, where she curated open mic nights with new and established artists.

She began Clubeo in 2013, giving upcoming artists an opportunity to be on a live stage, with guest performances ranging from music legends to local rising stars.

Clannad released In a Lifetime to mark the band's 50th anniversary in 2020 and later completed their 50th Anniversary In a Lifetime Farewell Tour in October 2024, with a final show in London's Royal Albert Hall.

U2 singer Bono, who duetted with Moya on the Clannad song In a Lifetime, previously said she had "one of the greatest voices the human ear has ever experienced".

Former President Michael D Higgins, who presented her with the RTÉ Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, said that "her name would be forever etched in the history of Irish music."

Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said he was "deeply saddened" to hear of Moya's passing, describing her as "musical icon with a unique voice of extraordinary beauty" who brought Irish music to an international audience through her work with Clannad.

Moya collaborated with artists including Bono, Mick Jagger, Paul Brady, Bruce Hornsby, Paul Young, Shane MacGowan, Dónal Lunny, The Chieftains, Brian Kennedy, Ronan Keating, Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh.

She worked with Hans Zimmer on the film score for King Arthur and achieved huge global success with Chicane's Saltwater.

With her long-time musical collaborator, harpist Cormac De Barra, Moya released four critically acclaimed Voices & Harps albums.

Moya was also part of trad vocal supergroup T With the Maggies, alongside her peers and lifelong friends Maighread & Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh.

Her many performances included collaborating with the Republic of Ireland football team on Put 'Em Under Pressure ahead of Italia 90 and singing before Pope John Paul II and 2.7 million young people at the World Youth Prayer Vigil in Rome in 2000.

She also recorded many charity singles supporting a range of causes, including homelessness, addiction, and mental health issues.

Dublin City University awarded Moya an honorary doctorate in May 2022. Dr Síle Denvir of DCU's Scoil na Gaeilge described Moya as having "an innate ability to find the heart of music, to reach the essence of a song or a tune, and to make the ordinary extraordinary."

Moya was awarded Donegal Person of the Year in April 2024 when she was fittingly described as "the first lady of Celtic music."

The following month, along with her brothers, Ciarán and Pól, Clannad were conferred with the Freedom of Donegal in recognition of their contribution to highlighting the county around the world.

She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in later years.

Moya is survived by her husband, Tim Jarvis, and her two children, Aisling and Paul, who both toured and recorded with their mother.