| Moya Brennan | |
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Moya Brennan performing in 2007. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin |
| Also known as | Moya Brennan Máire Jarvis[1] 'The Voice of Clannad'[2] 'First Lady of Celtic Music'[3] |
| Born | 4 August 1952 Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland |
| Genres | Irish Traditional Celtic Folk New Age |
| Occupations | Singer Songwriter Producer Harpist |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Labels | Atlantic Records BMG Records Word Records BEO Records Universal Music International |
| Associated acts | Clannad, T with the Maggies, Enya |
| Website | Official site Official Myspace site |
| Notable instruments | |
| Harp keyboards, piano, shakers, bodhrán, djembe |
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Moya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin[4] (Irish pronunciation: [mˠaːrʲə nʲiː vɾˠiːn̪ˠaːn]), also known as Máire Brennan (born 4 August 1952), is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist who began performing professionally in 1970, when her family formed the band Clannad,[5] and is now widely considered as the "First Lady of Celtic Music".[6] 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.[7] She has been nominated for two Grammys and has won an Emmy Award.[8] She has recorded with many world-famous musicians and has provided music for several soundtracks, including Titanic, To End All Wars and King Arthur.[9][10]
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Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin[4] (Irish pronunciation: [mˠaːrʲə nʲiː vɾˠiːn̪ˠaːn]) 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.[11]
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, however, this 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 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.[13] Some of her songs show influences from her Roman Catholic upbringing or seem relational due to her own views concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary.[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.[4] 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 (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.[18][19][20]
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.[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 WWII to 9-11.[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 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.[24][25]
Brennan was the featured headliner for the Atlanta Celtic Christmas concert, recorded live by Georgia Public Broadcasting on December 18-19, 2010. This annual festive event at Emory University's Schwartz Center spans music and dance from Irish, Scottish, and Appalachian traditions.[26]
Moya Brennan tours with a large band of musicians[27] 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.[28][29]
| Current Members | Former Members |
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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."[30] 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."[31][32] 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.
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.
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.[33] 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.[34]
Moya Brennan is also a well-known philanthropist.
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.[35][36]
In that same year, she travelled to Rwanda,[37] 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.[36] 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.[36]
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.[38]
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.
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.[39]
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 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.
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.[40][41]
Detailing Clannad's journey as a band
Later subtitled: The Autobiography of the Voice of Clannad
sometimes called God of Peace
Eddie Rowley in conversation with Máire Brennan
Sheet music book for 'Past Present'
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