Musician Moya Brennan has died in Co Donegal, aged 73.
A family statement said the singer, harpist and songwriter best known for her work with Clannad, died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.
Moya (neé Máire Ní Bhraonain) was the eldest of nine children of Leo and Máire (Baba) Brennan.
She, along with her siblings Ciarán, Pól, Deirdre, Leon, Enya, Olive, Bartley and Brídín, grew up in the Gaoth Dobhair Gaeltacht in northwest Donegal.
She and three family members formed Clannad in the 1970s, initially performing mostly in the family pub, Leo’s Tavern.
After winning the Letterkenny Folk Festival in 1973, they embarked on a busy touring schedule – finding initial success in Europe, especially Germany. Their music was a blend of Irish traditional songs from Donegal and contemporary influences such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Mamas & The Papas and Joni Mitchell.
Their hits included The Theme from Harry’s Game, which they performed on Top Of The Pops.
Clannad perform their farewell Dublin concert at the 3Arena in February 2023. Photograph: Tom Honan
This success was followed by their musical scoring for the highly successful Robin of Sherwood TV series. and an international recording and touring career followed, spawning 19 albums and many awards, notably Ivor Novello (1982), Bafta (1984) and a Grammy (1999) along with Irish Meteor and BBC Folk Lifetime Achievement awards.
Brennan went on to enjoy a hugely successful solo career.
She was awarded an Emmy in 2011 for the US PBS documentary Music of Ireland, and an RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement in 2019, presented to her by president Michael D Higgins, who said “her name would be forever etched in the history of Irish music”.
Clannad performed their farewell Dublin concert in 2023, the 50th anniversary of the release of their debut album.
Brennan is survived by her husband Tim Jarvis, daughter Aisling and son Paul.