Moya Brennan, "First Lady of Celtic Music," dies at 73

Moya Brennan, best known as the lead singer of Grammy and BAFTA-winning group Clannad, has died aged 73.

An Irish music icon, the Celtic folk singer, songwriter and harpist from Gaoth Dobhair in the Donegal Gaeltacht recorded around 25 albums and sold millions of records worldwide, News.Az reports, citing RTE.ie.

The eldest of nine children in the renowned Ó Braonáin family, Moya 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 playing 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.

Success from the theme for the television series Harry’s Game in 1982 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, 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.

 released In a Lifetime to mark the band’s 50th anniversary in 2020 and later embarked on a farewell tour.

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".

Moya was presented with the RTÉ Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

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 performed on many occasions, from collaborating with the Republic of Ireland football team on Put ’Em Under Pressure ahead of Italia 90 to performing before Pope John Paul II and 2.7 million young people during 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. She was named the 2023 Donegal Person of the Year in February 2024, when she was fittingly described as "the first lady of Celtic music".

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.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova