Moya Brennan was remembered as a musician who “carried the rugged beauty of Donegal to audiences right across the world” at her funeral in Co Donegal on Friday.
Her sister Enya, collaborators U2, fellow Clannad bandmates and brothers Pól and Ciarán Brennan were among the musicians and family members who gathered to pay their respects to the multi-award-winning singer at St Patrick’s Church in Crolly.
Daniel O’Donnell and Andrea Corr were also in attendance, with O’Donnell performing Here I Am Lord with his wife Majella during Communion.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President Catherine Connolly were represented by Comdt Joseph Glennon and Comdt Barry Dolan respectively.
In a bilingual service, Fr Brian Ó Fearraigh told mourners that “through her voice and her gift in playing the harp, Moya carried the rugged beauty, and that quiet strength, ancient timeless mystery and rich soul of Donegal to audiences right across the world.
Moya Brennan’s husband, Tim Jarvis, speaking with Bono and The Edge from U2 at the funeral. Photograph: Alan Betson
“Rinné sí é sin. She did that.”
The funeral saw the small Gaeltacht church overflowing with attendees, with tents and loudspeakers set up outside to allow mourners to pay their respects.
The service took place less than 3km from Leo’s Tavern, Moya Brennan’s father’s pub, where she formed Clannad.
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Addressing the congregation, Ó Fearraigh said: “Moya Brennan was above all a woman of music, a woman of melody, a woman of motherhood, and a woman of mission. She knew that her gift was from God.
“She used that gift well, allowing her harp and voice to harmonise in a wonderful way and become instruments of beauty, instruments of peace, instruments of blessing the world.”
As well as paying tribute to her status as the “first lady of Celtic music,” Ó Fearraigh said Moya Brennan would be remembered for “her faith, for her music, and the lasting grace she brought into the lives of so many people, in so many different ways”.
Moya Brennan’s family members outside the church, including Enya and her brother Pól (centre). Photograph: Alan Betson
The priest said her appeal reached people across all social backgrounds. “She sang for the uasal agus íseal (high and low society), popes and presidents, the poor and the forgotten. Her music crossed every boundary because in a way it spoke the language of every human heart.”
The singer died at home in her native Co Donegal aged 73 on Monday. In her later years, she had been living with pulmonary fibrosis and faced the possibility of a double lung transplant.
Music was central to the funeral Mass, in which all songs and arrangements were chosen by Moya Brennan herself before her death.
[ Tributes to Moya Brennan: ‘Her voice was the signature sound of Clannad’Opens in new window ]
Two of her own recordings were selected: Peacemaker, which features the voice of her son Paul when he was four years old, as the entrance music, and Perfect Time for reflection after Communion. Moya Brennan performed the latter song live for pope John Paul II and 2.1 million audience members at the 2000 World Youth Day in Rome.
The presentation of life symbols included a harp, a bodhrán from her Clubeo open mic night for young Donegal artists, a laminated pass from her final concert and a family photo of her winning the 2023 Donegal Person of the Year.
Pól and Ciarán Brennan performed a moving rendition of Eleanor Plunkett with harpist Cormac De Barra, who has previously made up part of the ensemble of the Moya Brennan Band.
Moya Brennan’s remains were buried at Magheragallon Cemetery. Photograph: Alan Betson
An Mhaighdean Mhara was performed by Altan vocalist Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and traditional vocalist Maighread Ní Dhomhnaill.
Additional performances were provided by Cór Phádraig and Cór Mhuire, which are the choirs of St Patrick’s Church and St Mary’s Church in Derrybeg, as well as singer Éoin Ó Fearraigh, organist Leonard Dorian and folk band Clann Mhic Ruairí.
Moya Brennan’s remains were buried at the Magheragallon Cemetery in Gaoth Dobhair, overlooking Magheragallon beach.