Clannad have given a unique voice to modern Irish music and have revamped the old traditional standards. They have combined a deep love of traditional strains with a bold approach to writing and recording. Their legacy is a hugely impressive collection of albums, touching on folk, rock, ambient, jazz and world music. Many of these records have featured lyrics in their native Gaelic tongue, while others have been performed in English. Either way, those vocals have plugged directly into the popular imagination.
They grew up in the parish of Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal, in the secluded north-west. Máire, Pól and Ciarán Brennan sang and played from an early age in their father’s bar, Leo’s Tavern. Soon they were accompanied by their uncles, Pádraig and Noel Duggan, winning a talent contest in Letterkenny in 1970. Their first album, ‘Clannad’ was released in 1973. They were celebrated at home, and found an appreciative folk audience in Germany. The 1982 album , ‘Fuaim’, featured sister Enya as a guest musician.
‘Theme From Harry’s Game’ was released in the winter of 1982. Radio programmers and audiences were captivated by the dense harmonies and the Gaelic words. It leapt into the Top five in the UK charts. The ‘Magical Ring’ album followed in 1983, and by now brothers Pól and Ciarán were writing evocative and powerful music. This was furthered on ‘Legend’ a soundtrack commissioned for the television series, ‘Robin Of Sherwood’ in 1984. During this period, the band received numerous awards including an Ivor Novello and a BAFTA for their ground-breaking work on this album.
This primed the band for one of their most mesmeric records. ‘Macalla’, released in 1985, featured more electronic arrangements, while Maire’s voice was reaching the extremes of joy and melancholy. A chance remark to their friends in U2 resulted in Bono singing a duet with Máire on the track ‘In A Lifetime’. This charted twice, in 1986 and again in 1989. The follow-up, ‘Sirius’ was completed in Los Angeles with some of the city’s most famous musicians, as the Clannad sound took another unscripted change.
‘PastPresent’, released in 1989 brought the music of Clannad to an even bigger audience. Summarising their first four RCA albums it became a much-loved fixture in the UK Chart Top 5. The BBC had obviously noted the huge success of the soundtrack to Robin and commissioned a project that would become the outstanding album ‘Atlantic Realm’. This was followed in the same year by Clannad’s first soundtrack work on an animation, ‘Angel And The Soldier Boy’.
Máire, Pádraig and Noel were writing more now, supplementing Ciarán’s work. The latter was also honing his skills as a producer. Their ‘Anam’ album made the top 20 in 1990. ‘Theme From Harry’s Game’ featured on the 1992 film Patriot Games, featuring Harrison Ford, raising the band’s profile again in America. The band’s music was increasingly in demand for soundtrack work, appearing on Last Of The Mohicans, (1992) and Message In A Bottle (1999).
The ‘Banba’ album once again gave Clannad a Top 5 hit in the UK charts in 1993 and marked a momentous anniversary; 20 years together as a professional group.
They released the albums ‘Lore’ (1996) and the Grammy award winning ‘Landmarks’ (1998), again proving that no other act had such a distinctive imprint or such a variety of style and tone.
Since then...
Since Clannad recorded their last studio album 'Landmarks' in 1998, they have released a live album and countless 'best of' compilations, the latest in march 2008. Celebrating their music, 'In a Lifetime' was released, including 8 remastered albums with bonus tracks, which became prominent fixtures in every Clannad fan's collection.
The live album was released in 2005, along with a new album from the youngest of the Brennan clann, Brídín. Her debut, 'Eyes of Innocence', a chilled adult-pop album has been quoted as 'simply perfect', and 'angelic' and was greeted with great excitement within the Moya Brennan community. Moya's sister Deirdre, who toured with Clannad, is one of Ireland's great upcoming Gaelic poets, artists and story writers and is still living in her native Donegal.
In 2006, Moya Brennan released her eagerly awaited 7th solo album 'Signature', and due to its' success, and the success of her other albums (including Grammy award nominated 'Whisper to the Wild Water') Moya has a very busy solo touring schedule.
After three live performances in Germany, Scotland's Celtic Connections and a very special concert paying tribute to Baba and Leo Brennan, Clannad have now decided to get back on the road. Now, March 2008, Clannad are touring (and are probably sound-checking right at this moment). This month they release compilation 'Celtic Themes', and a new insightful biographical book on the band, by member Noel Duggan.
Note: We are not in any way affiliated or in contact with Clannad. If members of Clannad wish, this site will be handed over without dispute. To contact Clannad, please visit their management's website at MDM.ie.
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