Moya Brennan

Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin was born on 4 August 1952 in Dublin after her parents eloped from County Donegal to marry in County Louth. Máire grew up as the eldest child of a musical family in the remote parish of Gweedore (Gaoth Dobhair), a Gaeltacht area in County Donegal, where the Irish language and tradition continue to flourish.[9] Her mother Máire (née Ní Dhúgáin or Duggan in English) was a music teacher and her father, Leo Brennan, was a member of a cabaret band with whom she performed as a child.

Moya is the eldest of nine children. She has four sisters, Deirdre, Eithne (better known as Enya), Olive and Brídín, and four brothers, Ciarán, Pól, Leon and Bartley. She sang along with her siblings in the family pub, Leo's Tavern in the village of Meenaleck, a short distance from the family home. She also took part in pantomimes at the local Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair (Gweedore Theatre). After leaving secondary school, Brennan spent a few years at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin studying the harp, the piano and singing. She has also taught music at Holy Cross College in Falcarragh, County Donegal.[10]

Moya performing with Clannad at the Leeds Folk Festival, 1982

In 1970, Brennan joined her two brothers Pól and Ciarán, and their mother's twin brothers Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin, and eventually formed Clannad. They were introduced to television by Irish musician and broadcaster Tony MacMahon.[11] After enjoying a decade of being among the world's foremost Irish musical groups, Clannad graduated to chart success in 1982 with the album Magical Ring. Brennan was at the forefront of the group's success and her voice suddenly became synonymous with Celtic music and Irish music. She recorded 17 albums with Clannad and has won a Grammy, a BAFTA and an Ivor Novello award with the quintet. Her sister, Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, spent a couple of years with Clannad in the early 1980s, and went on to pursue a very successful solo career as Enya.

Following Clannad's 2008 reunion tour, it was announced that Brennan would be working on a new unplugged album with the group, for release in 2009, but that never came to fruition.[12]

Brennan released her first solo album in 1992, Máire, on Atlantic Records. Misty Eyed Adventures on BGM followed three years later. In 1998, Brennan signed with Word Records and released Perfect Time, and Whisper to the Wild Water a year later. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 2001. Brennan is managed by her husband Tim Jarvis and her brother Leon Ó Braonáin. Her music is usually classified as New Age or Celtic. She accepts the Celtic label, but has at times indicated a slight discomfort with being seen as "New Age" as much of her music is strongly Christian, with several of her songs centring on maintaining a relationship with Jesus.[13] Some of her songs show influences from her Roman Catholic upbringing or seem relational due to her own views concerning Mary, the mother of Jesus.[14]

In 2000, her autobiography, The Other Side of the Rainbow. was published and she also performed her song "Perfect Time" live at World Youth Day in Rome in front of crowds of pilgrims and Pope John Paul II. There were 2.1 million people present, making it the largest crowd ever gathered in the Northern Hemisphere. She considered it an honour as she believes in mutual respect among Christians.[15] Moya also recorded on the event's album, One. She recorded a duet with Booley, now known as Duke Special. The song, titled "Peace Has Broken Out", is about the Troubles in Ireland.

In film, she was featured vocalist on King Arthur (2004), co-writing the title theme "Tell Me Now (What You See)" with Hans Zimmer and wrote additional music score for To End All Wars (2001). In 1995, she duetted with Shane MacGowan with "You're the One" for the movie Circle of Friends. Brennan has collaborated with many other musicians, including Chicane, Alan Parsons, Bono, Robert Plant, Van Morrison, Michael McDonald from the Doobie Brothers, Bruce Hornsby, Joe Elliott, The Chieftains, Paul Young, Paul Brady, Michael Crawford, Joe Jackson and Ronan Keating.

In total Brennan has recorded 25 albums, and has sold 20 million records. Since 2002, she has promoted herself as Moya Brennan — a spelling closely resembling the phonetic pronunciation of her name for those not familiar with the Irish variant of the spelling – and, in 2009, she legally changed her name by deed poll.[2] Under this moniker she released an album entitled Two Horizons in 2003 under her new label, Universal. She has also collaborated with dance artist Chicane for performing the vocals on the single "Saltwater", which was also featured in the VisitScotland advertising campaign, as well as having been used by Fáilte Ireland to promote Ireland, and by Belfast city council, both in television adverts.

On 17 March 2004, she performed at the Speaker's Luncheon on Capitol Hill in front of President George W. Bush and Irish dignitaries.[16]

During the World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne, she performed with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vigil in front of a million people and was also part of the official WYD CD Building on World.[17]

2006 saw the release of her Christmas album, simply entitled 'An Irish Christmas', although it was originally planned to bear the title 'Love Came Down'. A year later, Brennan released her album 'Signature', which she described as a collection of snapshots of her life. The album featured only one Irish song but featured choruses and backing vocals in her native language throughout.

While touring with the latter album, during 2007 and 2008, Moya recorded several collaborations and guest vocals on albums by Iona, Joanne Hogg and with Grand Canal on Ireland's Official Olympic Anthem, "Green to Gold. All three recordings were in aid of several charities.[18][19][20]

Her 2008–2009 live album Heart Strings was recorded with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Julie Feeney. Moya has toured to promote the album extensively in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and England.[21][22]

In 2009, Brennan recorded the official soundtrack on Maryland Public Television documentary film 'Intrepid Journal' which documents 50 years of American foreign policy, from World War II to the September 11 attacks.[23]

In April 2010, Moya released a new studio album with harpist and live band member Cormac de Barra. My Match Is a Makin' was recorded for her Spring 2010 tour of the Netherlands, and is available only during her tours. The album is expected to become more widely available in 2010.

Moya Brennan announced that she was working on a hymns album, possibly for 2010 release and would release a new acoustic music album with Clannad in 2010 or 2011.[24][25] The new Clannad album is slated for a 2013 release in September.

Brennan was the featured headliner for the Atlanta Celtic Christmas concert, recorded live by Georgia Public Broadcasting on 18–19 December 2010. This annual festive event at Emory University's Schwartz Center spans music and dance from Irish, Scottish, and Appalachian traditions.[26]

Moya Brennan appeared as well on the album "Excalibur III – The Origins" written by Alan Simon, a musician who comes from Brittany (France). She sang, indeed, on the following tracks : "The Origins Part I and II", "Incantations" and "Sacred Lands". Moreover, she went in July 2012 to Brocéliande, in Brittany, where she performed as soloist before performing at the concert "Excalibur III – The Origins".

Brennan was scheduled to perform at the National Geographic Society in Washington, DC on 17 March 2012.[27]

In 2013, Moya Brennan released a new studio album called Voices & Harps – Affinity in collaboration with harpist Cormac de Barra as a follow-up to the album Voices & Harps, which was released in 2011. It contains brand new tunes composed by Brennan and de Barra, several traditional tunes in Irish and a cover after Christopher Cross' song "Sailing" which also serves as the album's lead single.

2017 saw Brennan release Canvas, her first solo album in almost a decade.[28] Co-written by her two children, Aisling and Paul, the album was released on 24 February 2017 and was supported by a UK, Irish and European tour through 2018.

In 2020, Brennan was part of an Irish collective of female singers and musicians called "Irish Women in Harmony", that recorded a version of the song "Dreams" in aid of the charity Safe Ireland, which deals with domestic abuse which had reportedly risen significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown.[29][30]

Brennan and Clannad are credited with the creation of contemporary Celtic music and are held in high esteem for their vast contribution to bringing new life to old Irish songs. They have been compared to Seán Ó Riada, in that they brought the Irish language into popular culture through their music. One critic said: "Clannad's music offers a terrific fusion between traditional and modern influences."[35] U2 singer Bono (who duetted with Brennan on the Clannad song "In a Lifetime") said of her voice: "I think Máire has one of the greatest voices the human ear has ever experienced."[36][37] Brennan also plays harp, which she has featured on many Clannad records, with her album Two Horizons being based on the discovery of the harp. Brennan's vocal range has once been described as a "breathy soprano".[38]

Moya Brennan after receipt of an honorary doctorate from DCU, with the university's president and chancellor, May 2022

In May 2022, Brennan's contributions were recognised by the awarding of an honorary doctorate by Dublin City University, alongside aircraft leasing leader Domhnal Slattery, at a ceremony attended by Brennan's immediate family, as well as her mother and her sister Enya.[39]

Brennan wrote an autobiography called The Other Side of the Rainbow in 2000, in which she recalls her upbringing as the eldest of nine siblings in rural Donegal. Along with the highs of success in the music business, she also recounts low periods where alcohol, drugs and an abortion made her re-evaluate her life. She emerged from her "dark years" as a committed Christian, with rekindled faith.[40] She remarried in 1991, having previously been married to a Dublin musician, Pat Farrell, who passed away on January 14, 2023.

Moya Brennan is also a philanthropist.

Brennan performing in New York, 2008

• 1989 – Past Present

        Sheet music book for 'Past Present'

• 1991 – A Woman's Voice

        Eddie Rowley in conversation with Máire Brennan

• 2000 – Ireland: Landscapes of God's Peace, Máire Brennan

        sometimes called God of Peace

• 2001 – The Other Side of the Rainbow, Máire Brennan with Angela Little

        Later subtitled: The Autobiography of the Voice of Clannad

• 2008 – Moments in a Lifetime, Noel Duggan

        Detailing Clannad's journey as a band

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moya Brennan.

• Official website
• Moya Brennan discography at MusicBrainz
• as Maire Brennan at IMDb