Enya’s sister Moya Brennan’s funeral took place today in Donegal, as the Irish singer and musician was remembered as “the first lady of Celtic music”
Enya joined a list of Irish folk rock royalty at the funeral of her sister, Moya Brennan. Moya, who has been remembered as the First Lady of Celtic music, died aged 73 earlier this week.
The 73-year-old harpist and singer who was a member of the Grammy award-winning Celtic family band Clannad, died earlier this week after living with pulmonary fibrosis for years.
Her funeral took place at St Patrick’s Church in Meenaweal, Crolly, and was attended by her friends, family, and some public figures in the music industry. The several famous faces in attendance included her sister Enya, her Clannad bandmates, U2 members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr, Daniel O’Donnell and his wife Majella, and Andrea Corr.
Ireland’s President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheal Martin were also represented at the service in the Irish-speaking Gweedore area. A guard of honour was formed outside the church by local primary school pupils, a musical marching band and staff from a community centre.
Peacemakers, a song by Brennan featuring the voice of her son Paul when he was four years old, played as the coffin entered the church. Some of the symbols of her life brought to the altar included Brennan’s harp, a lanyard from the last gig she played, and a Donegal GAA jersey.
Later during the service there were musical performances, including by O’Donnell and Brennan’s siblings Ciaran and Pol. A recording of Brennan singing Perfect Time, which she performed in Rome in 2000 in front of Pope John Paul II and more than two million people, was also played.
Parish priest Brian O Fearraig led the service, recalling how on Monday night, it seemed as if a “sacred silence descended for a while” after Brennan passed. He told those gathered music stood still, and Brennan’s “beautiful harp stood silently in the corner of her room, as though keeping its own quiet vigil of respect and honour”.
But he said in the hours and days that followed, her home “became again a place of friendship and love, of kindness and light, a centre of song and deep spirituality, where tears of sadness and tears of joy mingled with memories so lovingly shared by young and old alike”.
He said: “In these past few days, grace and grief stood side by side, embraced and danced to the beautiful music as memories were shared through tears of sadness and sorrow and tears of joy and gratitude.” Fr O Fearraig continued his tribute in both the Irish language and English, describing Brennan as “above all, a woman of music and melody, a woman of motherhood, and mission”.
He added: “She knew that her gift was from God, and she used that gift faithfully and well, allowing her voice and harp to harmonise and become instruments of beauty, peace, and blessing for the world.
“It has been said that, through her voice and her gifted playing of the harp, Maire carried the rugged beauty, that quiet strength, the ancient timeless mystery, and rich soul of Donegal to audiences right across the world.”
The priest quoted her fellow musician and friend Mairead Ni Mhaonaigh: “She may be gone, but the voice will remain.” He added: “Through her singing and harp-playing, she gave expression not only to melody, but to the deep spirit, beauty, and soul of her people and place.”
Brennan was the eldest of nine children, with her sister Eithne, becoming one of Ireland’s best-selling singers Enya, who she initially began her music career with in her family band in 1970.
The singer, who hailed from the Irish-speaking Donegal Gaeltacht area of Gweedore, was remembered as the ‘‘First Lady of Celtic music” at her funeral, after recording over 25 albums and selling millions of records worldwide.
The star is perhaps best remembered for the Clannad’s big breakthrough, which was their hit song, which was used as the theme tune from the TV series Harry’s Game in 1982, a series set in Northern Ireland during the troubles.
The song featured Brennan’s vocals and was sung entirely in Irish. The haunting tune hit the charts in Ireland at the number two slot, and made history in the UK as the first song in the Irish language to make it onto the charts, it entered at number five and stayed on the charts for 11 weeks.
Clannad is a family band comprising of siblings Ciaran, Pol and Moya Brennan along with their twin uncles Noel and Padraig Duggan. The group had huge success over their 40 year career, and members of the group performed at he funeral.
Brennan is survived by her husband, Tim Jarvis, their daughter, Aisling, and son, Paul.
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