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Máire Ní Bhraonáin, pronounced [mˠaːrʲə nʲiː vɾˠiːn̪ˠaːn] better known as Máire Brennan or Moya Brennan (born August 4, 1952, Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland), is a Grammy Award-nominatedhttp://www.beliefnet.com/story/65/story_6542_1.html Celtic folk singer. She began her singing career when her family formed the band Clannad in 1970.
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Brennan grew up as the eldest in a very musical family in a remote parish in the northwest of Ireland, a place where the Irish language and tradition was and still is very much alive. Her mother Máire (or Baba) was a music teacher and her father was a member of a cabaret band, with whom she performed as a child. She sang along with her siblings in the family pub, Leo\'s Tavern. 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 in Dublin at the Irish Academy of Music studying the harp, the piano and singing. Following these years, she taught music at Holy Cross College in Falcarragh, County Donegal.
It was during this time in 1970 that Brennan joined her two brothers Pól and Ciarán and their mother\'s two 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 has 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, also pursued a very successful solo career under the name Enya.
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 centering on maintaining a relationship with Jesus Christ.http://alphaomeganews.org/features/04/03/moya.html Some of her songs show influences from her Catholic upbringing or seem relational due to her own views concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary.http://www.beliefnet.com/story/65/story_6542_3.html
In 2000, she wrote an autobiography called The Other Side of The Rainbow, which was translated into German. The same year she 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 honor as she believes in mutual respect among Christians.http://www.moyabrennan.com/books2.php
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 McGowan with "You\'re The One" for the movie Circle of Friends. Brennan has collaborated with many other musicians, including Alan Parsons, Bono, Robert Plant, Van Morrison, Michael McDonald from the Doobie Brothers, Bruce Hornsby, Def Leppard, The Chieftains, Paul Young, Paul Brady, Michael Crawford, Joe Jackson and Ronan Keating.
Audio samples:
| "Against the Wind" (1992) | |
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| Most successful song from her debut album, Máire. | |
| "Perfect Time" (1998) | |
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| Title track from her 1998 release Perfect Time. | |
In total Brennan has recorded 25 albums, and has sold over 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. Under this moniker she released an album entitled Two Horizons in 2003 under her new label, Universal. She is also known for her work with the dance artist Chicane for performing the singing for 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 March 17, 2004 she performed at the Speaker\'s Luncheon on Capitol Hill in front of President George W. Bush and Irish dignitaries.http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk/index.asp?loc=whatsonshow&woid=8433
During the world youth day 2005 in Cologne she performed with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vigil in front of million of people and was also part of the official WYD CD Building On World.http://www.word-on-the-web.co.uk/music/building%20one%20world.htm
In 2000, she wrote an autobiography called The Other Side of The Rainbow (Hodder & Stoughton), which was also translated into German (Mein Irisches Leben, Brunnen-Verlag).
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.
Moya is Goodwill Ambassador for the international charity, Christian Blind Mission, and travels worldwide with the organisation.http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/news.aspx?action=view&id=472
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