Moya Brennan


Moya Brennan, also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She began performing professionally in 1970 when her family formed the band Clannad, and is considered as the "First Lady of Celtic Music". Moya released her first solo album in 1992 called Máire, a successful venture. She has been nominated for two Grammys and has won an Emmy Award. She has recorded music for several soundtracks, including Titanic, To End All Wars and King Arthur.

Musical upbringing

Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin was born 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, a Gaeltacht area in County Donegal, where the Irish language and tradition continue to flourish. Her mother Máire 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, 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. 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.

Years with Clannad

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. 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 under the name 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.

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 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. 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.
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, co-writing the title theme "Tell Me Now " with Hans Zimmer and wrote additional music score for To End All Wars. 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. 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
Moya Brennan appeared as well on the album "Excalibur III – The Origins" written by Alan Simon, a musician who comes from Brittany. 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.
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. 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.

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.
In 2012, Moya's daughter, Aisling Jarvis, became a permanent member of her band. Aisling joins Brennan on all solo tours, as well as Moya's project with Cormac DeBarra, "Voices & Harps".

Band members

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." U2 singer Bono said of her voice: "I think Máire has one of the greatest voices the human ear has ever experienced." 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".

Personal life

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. She remarried in 1991, having previously been married to a Dublin musician.

Philanthropy

Moya Brennan is also a philanthropist.

Christian Blind Mission

In 2003, Moya Brennan became Goodwill Ambassador to Christian Blind Mission Ireland. 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 CBM. At the opening, Brennan brought together the Belizean Prime Minister Said Musa, Minister of Finance, Leader of the Opposition and UK Conservative Party member and businessman with extensive business interest in Belize, Michael Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft.
The following year, Brennan travelled to Tanzania and has played a major role in bringing the missions of the charity to the forefront. She has also performed concerts worldwide with other Christian Blind Mission Goodwill Ambassadors from Europe.

Helping those with 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 debut 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 " 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 Self 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.
Brennan 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 song for Ireland's 2008 Olympic Team, "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.
In 2020, Brennan was part of an Irish collective of female singers and musicians called Irish Women in Harmony, that recorded a version of "Dreams" in aid of the SafeIreland charity that deals with domestic abuse, which had reportedly risen significantly during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Discography

Studio albums