Clannad (band)

Clannad () were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings , and (Moya) (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginning as an acoustic folk group mainly performing rearranged traditional Irish songs in Irish, they expanded their sound with original songs in English, vocal harmonies, electronic keyboards, and elements of rock, Celtic, new age, smooth jazz, and Gregorian chant.

Initially known as ('Family from Dore'), they shortened their name to Clannad in 1973. By 1979 they had released three albums and toured Europe and the US. From 1980 to 1982 they operated as a six-piece with their sister and niece (Enya). In 1982, they gained international attention with their single " Theme from ''Harry's Game''". They experimented with new age and pop-influenced sounds in the 1980s and 1990s and their music came to be defined as almost purely Celtic, making them innovators of that genre. In 1997, after 15 albums, they took a break and pursued solo projects. The band regrouped in 2007 as a four piece with Moya (who adopted that spelling instead of in 2002), , , and and completed a world tour in 2008. In 2013, rejoined and they released their first studio album in fifteen years. Duggan died in 2016. The remaining group embarked on their farewell tour in 2020 as a quartet.

Clannad have won numerous awards throughout their career, including a Grammy Award, a BAFTA, an Ivor Novello Award, and a Billboard Music Award. They have recorded in six different languages and scored eight UK top 10 albums. They were often more popular abroad than in their native Ireland, and are considered to have brought Irish music and the Irish language to a wider audience.

History

Formation

Clannad was formed by siblings , , and Brennan with their twin uncles Noel and Duggan. They grew up in Dore, a remote parish in Gweedore, County Donegal; in north-western Ireland, it is a region where Irish is the main spoken language. They were raised as a Roman Catholic family of musicians: the Brennans' mother, "Baba" Brennan (née Duggan), the daughter of the local headmaster, was a music teacher and later choir leader; and their father, Leo Brennan, who played saxophone and accordion, was a member of the Slieve Foy, an Irish showband that had toured Ireland and Scotland. In 1968, the Brennan and Duggan fathers bought and restored a dilapidated old tavern in nearby Meenaleck and ran it as a music bar called Leo's Tavern. Their children performed there together and developed their own act, with and Brennan on bass, vocals, and bongos; and Noel Duggan on guitars; and elder Brennan sister on harp and vocals.

The five young musicians made their live debut in 1970 at a music competition held during the inaugural Youth Festival in Letterkenny. , the eldest member, who had learned the harp and could play "holy songs and Brian Boru", was elected lead vocalist. They had not intended to enter the competition, but were encouraged to try by the local police sergeant and family members, and they submitted their entry form with ten minutes to spare before the post was to be collected. They won the competition prize of Ir£500, a trophy, and a recording contract with Polydor Records, although the band members were too young to sign it. With help from a grandfather, they had named themselves , Irish for 'Family from Dore', and they used this name until 1973, when they shortened the name to Clannad.

They established themselves as an acoustic folk group, collecting material from old singers and story-tellers in Donegal and building a repertoire of traditional Irish songs, arranged in a contemporary style for a full band. This approach attracted criticism at first because the Irish language was associated with poverty, but as Brennan recalled: "Once they said that ... we just had to do it even more." They also wrote original material, and covered songs by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Joni Mitchell.

1973–1982: early years and six-piece band with Enya

In 1973, Clannad came in first place in the Letterkenny folk festival and were offered a deal with Philips Records, which they negotiated themselves. Having secured a label, the group prepared material for a debut album. They recorded at Eamonn Andrews Studios in Dublin, choosing Irish- and English-language songs and a cover of "Morning Dew" by Bonnie Dobson. Released in 1973, ''Clannad'' was met with initial resistance from the label because of the use of Irish, and the group soon found themselves more popular outside Ireland, particularly in Germany. Later in 1973, Clannad competed for Ireland in the heat stages of the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "".

In 1974, the band followed their debut album with ''Clannad 2'', released by Gael Linn Records and produced by Dónal Lunny, the founder of Planxty and the Bothy Band. Like their first album, ''Clannad 2'' featured a mixture of English- and Irish-language songs, with Lunny and members of the Bothy Band on additional instruments. It also featured the band's first use of a synthesizer, and was heavier on the folk-rock side, with notable electric guitar, that several later releases.

Their next album, ('Seaweed'), was released in 1976. The title track "", a traditional Irish folk song, became a stage favourite. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales and was their first to be produced by Nicky Ryan, who also became the group's manager alongside his wife Roma Ryan. Clannad capitalised on their growing popularity in Europe by including liner notes in German and French and undertaking a tour of Europe. At one show, the standing ovation the band received after an extended rendition of "" from ''Clannad'' convinced them to continue as full-time musicians. Recordings from a tour of Switzerland in 1978 were released in the following year as ''Clannad in Concert''. Also in 1979, Clannad undertook a 36-date tour of North America, the most extensive by an Irish band at that time.

In 1980, Clannad became a six-piece band when Nicky Ryan invited a younger Brennan sister, (Enya), to join as an additional singer and keyboard player to expand the group's sound via extra vocals and electronic instruments. 's first recordings with Clannad were made as a guest musician (uncredited) on their fifth studio album, ('Apple Tree'), which was recorded in Cologne, Germany, and released in 1980 on Tara Music. "" featured a particularly full band arrangement which reflected their live jams, while "" showed early hints of a more atmospheric side to the band's arrangements.

By the time Clannad entered Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin to record their next album, ('Sound'), had become a full-time member. This album, on the Tara Records label, continued the group's experimentation with electronic instruments, and was featured on lead vocals on "" and "". Neil Buckley played clarinet and saxophone, with Noel Bridgeman on percussion and Pat Farrell on electric guitar. was released by Tara Music in 1982. Despite Nicky Ryan's attempt to steer Clannad towards a more layered, electronic, heavily-produced direction, he felt that they had a tendency to revert to their original folk-music style; following arguments and a band meeting during a 1982 European tour, the Ryans resigned as group managers. , feeling increasingly restricted in a band setting, departed with them to pursue what would prove to be an internationally successful solo career, as Enya, with the Ryans as collaborators.

1982–1985: "Theme from ''Harry's Game''" and ''Magical Ring''

In 1982, the then-five-piece Clannad signed to RCA Records and acquired Dave Kavanagh as their new manager. They accepted an invitation to record the title music for ''Harry's Game'', a three-part television drama depicting the Troubles in Northern Ireland, based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Seymour

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