Moya Brennan, previously known as Máire Brennan (born 4 August 1952), is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, Gaeilgeoir, and philanthropist who began performing professionally in 1970, when her family formed the band Clannad, and has come to be widely referenced as the "First Lady of Celtic Music". Moya released her first solo album in 1992 called Máire, a successful venture, her solo career has remained successful to this day, many years after Clannad took a hiatus in 1996. She has recorded with many world-famous musicians and has provided music for several soundtracks, including Titanic, To End All Wars and King Arthur.
Musical upbringing
Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin () was born and grew up as the eldest child of a very musical family in the remote parish of
Gweedore (
Gaoth Dobhair), in Ireland's northernmost county,
Donegal, a
Gaeltacht area in which the
Irish language and tradition continue to flourish. Her mother Máire (better known by her nickname, Baba)(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, her sisters are Deirdre, Eithne (better known as
Enya), Olive,
Brídín and her brothers are
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 many pantomimes in
Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair, the local theatre, usually dancing and singing. 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 later taught music at Holy Cross College in
Falcarragh,
County Donegal.
Years with Clannad
,
Donegal, in 2005.]]
It was during this time in 1970 that Brennan joined her two brothers Pól and Ciarán and their mother's twin brothers Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin and eventually formed Clannad. After enjoying a decade of being the world's foremost traditional Irish act, 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 at the time. Brennan 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, who spent a while with Clannad, continues to pursue a very successful solo career under the name Enya.
Following their 2008 reunion tour, it was later announced that Moya would be working on a new unplugged album with Clannad for release in 2009.
Solo career
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 in the
Grammy Awards of 2001 for
Best New Age Album. 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 Christ. Some of her songs show influences from her Roman Catholic upbringing or seem relational due to her own views concerning the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
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. 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.
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.
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 (Brennan's) 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.
Her 2008-2009 live album Heart Strings was recorded with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Julie Feeney. Moya has toured to promote the album extensively in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and England.
In 2009, Brennan recorded the official soundtrack on Maryland Public Television documentary film 'Intrepid Journal' which documents 50 years of American foreign policy, from WWII to 9-11.
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 has announced that she is working on a hymns album, possibly for 2010 release and will release a new acoustic music album with Clannad in 2010 or 2011.
Moya Brennan Band
Moya Brennan tours with a large band of musicians who have each recorded solo projects in the past or have recorded with their own bands. The band includes harpist and television presenter
Cormac de Barra. Between August 2008 and February 2009, two new members joined Moya's band, the first changes since her
Two Horizons Tour, including Irish singer
Daithí Rua.
{| border="0" cellpadding="2" style="width:100%; margin:auto;"
|-
!Current Members
!Former Members
|- valign="top"
|
Cormac de Barra
Sinéad Madden
Éamonn Galldubh
Fionán de Barra
Paul Byrne
Yoshi Izumi
Hughie Boyle
Will Keating
Sam Jackson
Daithí Rua
|
Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn
Máire Breatnach
Rob Jones
Ewan Cowley
Feargal Murray
Deirdre Brennan
Tim Jarvis
|}
Legacy
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." It is Brennan's haunting voice that has left the most lasting legacy, it has become synonymic with Clannad's work and with Irish music in general. Her ethereal vocalisation is considered the archetypal
sound of Ireland and strains of her style have been acquired in the soundtracks to
Titanic and
Riverdance.
Bono said of her voice: "
I think Moya has one of the greatest voices the human ear has ever experienced." Brennan is also famous for her harp playing, which she has featured on many Clannad records, with her album
Two Horizons being based on the discovery of the
harp.
Personal life
Autobiography
In 2000, she wrote an autobiography called The Other Side of the Rainbow.
In it Brennan recalls her upbringing as the eldest of nine siblings in rural County Donegal, Ireland. 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 dark years as a committed Christian with rekindled faith. She remarried in 1991 (having previously been married to a Dublin musician) and now lives in Dublin, Ireland with husband, photographer Tim Jarvis, and children, Aisling and Paul. Brennan and her family are practising members of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship.
Post-autobiography
Brennan is
Goodwill Ambassador for the international charity,
Christian Blind Mission, and travels worldwide with the organisation, including recent trips to the Congo, Brazil and America. Moya has, since rekindling her faith, been a supporter of Teen Challenge, a charity operating in Ireland and the USA and in 2008 she performed a concert to raise funds to build a new drug rehabilitation centre for the children.
Philanthropy
Moya Brennan is also a well-known philanthropist.
Christian Blind Mission
In 2003, Moya Brennan became Goodwill Ambassador to
Christian Blind Mission Ireland (CBM). Brennan's first trip was to
Congo-Kinshasa, with a group of five others. Due to violence, Moya and her team fled civil unrest and were evacuated to
Kenya. She later promised to return to the Congo, which she did in 2005 to airlift three children from isolated jungle villages to
Kinshasa.
In that same year, she travelled to Rwanda, where she kept a diary of her experiences. In 2005, she made an Irish-language documentary for TG4 during her visit to Congo, which was broadcast in 2007, and again in 2008 on both TG4 and RTÉ.
Moya also travelled to shanty-towns in Brazil and performed a fund-raising event in the country with Assiria Nascemento in 2007. From there Moya travelled to Belize for the opening of a school for abused children, run by the Liberty Foundation and backed by CMB.
Addiction
Brennan performs various concerts in aid of charities and groups that work to rehabilitate those affected by drug addiction and alcohol dependency. She also practices religion with her family in
Dún Laoghaire, at a church which also reaches out to young people affected by drug and alcohol misuse.
Nature preservation
With family band Clannad, Brennan has recorded numerous songs about the needed protection of the landscapes in Ireland and the devastation of pollution around the world. The first song about the matter was recorded for their début album and was called
An Pháirc. Throughout Moya's solo career, she has recorded various songs on the issue including
Big Yellow Taxi.
In July 2005, Brennan took part in a protest alongside poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh and locals of County Donegal to protest against the installation of electric cables across various areas of the county due to the harm it could cause to both people and the landscape.
Other appointments and music
In 1985, Brennan along with her band members in Clannad donated their song "
Almost Seems (Too Late To Turn)" to
Children In Need, becoming the British charity appeal's first official single.
In 1986, Brennan performed alongside Bono, Bob Geldof and Chris de Burgh for Live Aid. She also performed with Clannad at the concert. Moya and Clannad have long been supporters of Amnesty International and contributed their single Rí na Cruinne to the organisation. Brennan has also attended various benefits in both Ireland and England, most notably alongside Van Morrison in 1996.
Moya has recorded dozens charitable singles and on many more albums with various artists, including Raphael's Journey by Joanne Hogg in 2008, Songs for Luca and Songs for Luca 2 by Iona and the official anthem for Ireland's 2008 Olympic bid, "Green to Gold". Moya also donated her b-side, Ceolfaidh Mé to the Field of Hope album, which also features Bono and The Corrs. In October 2008, Brennan was appointed director for Ireland's first Christian satellite radio station, UCB Ireland, which operates from Dublin. Moya also recorded a song under her birth name Máire Ní Bhraonáin on the 2009 Ceol Cheann Dubhrann album with Manus Lunny to raise funds for Áislann Rann na Feirste and Scoil Náisiúnta Rann na Feirste.
Discography
Studio albums
1992 – Máire
1994 – Misty Eyed Adventures
1998 – Perfect Time
1999 – Whisper to the Wild Water
2003 – Two Horizons
2005 – An Irish Christmas
2006 – Signature
2010 – My Match Is A Makin' (with Cormac de Barra)
2010 – T with the Maggies (with T with the Maggies)
Live albums
2005 – Óró - A Live Session
2007 – Signature Special Tour Edition
2008 – Heart Strings
Singles
1992 – "Against the Wind"
1992 – "Jealous Heart"
1993 – "Big Yellow Taxi"
1995 – "You're the One" (with Shane MacGowan)
1998 – "Heal This Land"
1998 – "The Big Rock"
1999 – "Saltwater" (with Chicane)
2000 – "Follow the Word"
2003 – "Show Me"
2003 – "Tara"
2003 – "Saltwater" (with Chicane - re-issue)
2005 – "I'll See You Again/Hidden" (with Hazel O'Connor)
2006 – "No One Talks"
2007 – "Merry-Go-Round"
2007 – "Holiday Trio"
2008 – "Green to Gold" (with Grand Canal)
Charitable albums
2005 – A Future for the Michel (with Schiller)
2008 – Sanctuary (Various artists)
2009 – Ceol Cheann Dubhrann (Various artists)
Compilations and Collaborations
1987 The Awakening - with Paul Brady (from Primitive Dance)
1990 Put 'em Under Pressure Single - Put 'em Under Pressure (single)
1991 Bring It All Back Home - with An Emotional Fish (from Blue)
1993 Come Into My Life - with Robert Plant (from Fate of Nations)
1993 Dream Fields - with Runrig (from Amazing Things)
1994 Almond Skin - with Sonny Condell (from Someone To Dance With)
1994 Dream Sequence - with Sonny Condell (from Someone To Dance With)
1994 The Man Who Wrote Danny Boy - with Joe Jackson (from Night Music)
1994 As Tears Go By - with London Symphony Orchestra (from Symphonic Music Of The Rolling Stones)
1995 You're The One - with Shane MacGowan (from Circle of Friends soundtrack)
1995 Luman Michael O'Suilleabhain from Between Worlds (Moya & Brian Kennedy sing on Luman)
1996 Ó Bhean a' Tí - with Dónal Lunny, Brídín Brennan & Deirdre Brennan (from Common Ground: The Voices Of Modern Irish Music)
1996 Everything Changes (and various tracks) - with Iona (from Journey into the Morn)
1998 Amazing Grace - with Michael Crawford (from On Egales Wings)
1998 Come Josephine in My Flying Machine (from Back to Titanic soundtrack)
1999 Saltwater - with Chicane
1999 Don't Give Up - with Michael McDonald (from Streams & Whisper to the Wild Water)
1999 The Call Of The Wild - with Alan Parsons (from The Time Machine)
1999 Lullabies (on Silent Night) - with The Chieftains & Paola Cecchi (from Silent Night: A Christmas In Rome)
2000 Saylon Dola - with Russell Watson (from The Voice)
2000 No Scenes of Stately Majesty (from The Greatest Story Ever Sung)
2000 Fairytale Of New York - with Ronan Keating (from The Way You Make Me Feel)
2000 Peace Has Broken Out - with Booley (from One)
2000 Ceolfaidh Mé (from Fields Of Hope: Fight Against Famine)
2000 The Light On The Hill (from St. Patrick: The Irish Legend soundtrack)
2000 Over Blue City - with Skypark (from Over Blue City)
2000 Rose of Bethlehem (from One Silent Night)
2001 New Irish Hymns album - with Margaret Becker & Joanna Hogg
2001 O Jesus Friend Unfailing (from The Sound of Grace: Focusfest 2001)
2001 To End All Wars soundtrack
2001 Band of Brothers Requiem - with Michael Kamen (from Band of Brothers soundtrack)
2003 Ave Maria - with Dominic Miller (from Shapes)
2003 Codail A Linbh (Sleep O Child) - with Phil Coulter (from An Irish Holiday)
2004 Tell Me Now (What You See), All Of Them & Woad to Ruin tracks - with Hans Zimmer (from King Arthur)
2004 Labyrinth Prelude, Labyrinth - with Liam Lawton (from Another World)
2005 Hidden - with Hazel O'Connor (from Hidden Heart)
2005 Beautiful Dreamer - with Brian Kennedy (from On Song 2: Red Sails In The Sunset)
2005 Miles And Miles, Falling - with Schiller (from Day and Night (Tag Und Nacht))
2005 Away, The Rubicon - with The Duggans (from Rubicon)
2005 I'll See You - with Delirious? (from The Mission Bell)
2005 Kiss The Book, Like the Baseless Fabric & Set Me Free (from the Book Of Watermarks video game)
2008 The Two Of Us: The Duet Album (Christie Hennessy)-I Will Never Love Again (Duet With Christie Hennessy)
2008 The Worship Lounge-You Are Beautiful
2008 Rafael's Journey-Joanne Hogg (Moya sings back up on a couple tracks on this album)
2008 Green To Gold Single Green To Gold (with Grand Canal)
2008 Sanctuary-Various Artists-(Moya Performs on many of the tracks)
2008 Down By The Sea-Ashley Davis-This I Do (background vocals)
2009 Ceol Cheann Dubhrann-Various Artists-Ceol Cheann Dubhrann
2009 Love Will Bring You Home-Sharon Kips Welcome Home (duet with Sharon Kips)
2009 Honey Promises Sinead Madden (Moya sings back up on "Shadows" & "Take Me")
2010 Welcome Home: The Music Of Ireland-Various Artists-(Moya performs on several tracks and hosts the DVD special)
2010 San Patricio-Various Artists-Lullaby For The Dead
2010 Nowhere to Now Here (from the Nowhere to Now Here Soundtrack)
2010 Welcome To America: The Music of Ireland (Moya sings "Down By The Sally Gardens with Ronan Tynan)
2010 Re-Joyce The Hazel O'Connor Collective (Moya sings a brief along with a number of other artists)
2011 "Morning Star" with Producer DJ Roger Shah
Bibliography
2008 – Moments In a Lifetime, Noel Duggan
Detailing Clannad's journey as a band
2001 – The Other Side of the Rainbow, Máire Brennan with Angela Little
Later subtitled: The Autobiography of the Voice of Clannad
2000 – , Máire Brennan
sometimes called
God of Peace
1991 – A Woman's Voice
Eddie Rowley in conversation with Máire Brennan
1989 – Past Present
Sheet music book for 'Past Present'
References
External links
Moya Brennan's official website
Category:Alumni of the Royal Irish Academy of Music
Category:Assemblies of God people
Category:Atlantic Records artists
Category:Clannad members
Category:Irish female singers
Category:Irish folk harpists
Category:Irish folk singers
Category:Irish-language singers
Category:Irish philanthropists
Category:Irish pop singers
Category:Irish rock singers
Category:Irish singer-songwriters
Category:People from County Donegal
Category:1952 births
Category:Living people
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![Roger Shah feat. Moya Brennan - Morning Star (Signum Remix) [MAGIC056.02]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110802054935im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ve-aYTbI_Dc/0.jpg "Roger Shah feat. Moya Brennan - Morning Star (Signum Remix) [MAGIC056.02]")
