![\"Moya](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/002436e4-614.jpg\"\/)
\nSinger, songwriter and harpist Moya Brennan was the voice and face of the family band Clannad<\/p>\n
The funeral mass for musician Moya Brennan in Gaoth Dobhair, Co Donegal, heard her music belonged to all as it spoke the language of every heart.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people, including U2 band members, attended the funeral mass of the singer, songwriter and harpist, who died peacefully on Monday, at the age of 73.<\/p>\n
An Irish music icon, Ms Brennan was best known as the lead singer of the Grammy and BAFTA-winning family group Clannad.<\/p>\n
President Connolly was represented by Commandant Barry Dolan and the Taoiseach was represented by his Aide de Camp Commandant Joseph Glennon.<\/p>\n
Watch: Daniel and Majella O’Donnell perform at funeral of Moya Brennan<\/p>\n
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Crowds filled shuttle buses from Gaoth Dobhair to Teach Ph\u00e1draig in M\u00edn U\u00ed Bhaoill in the west Donegal Gaeltacht ahead of the funeral mass.<\/p>\n
A guard of honour was formed by Scoil Ph\u00e1draig, Dobhar, Banna Ceoil Dhobhair and the staff of Ionad Naomh P\u00e1draig, Dobhar as the funeral cortege made its way to the church.<\/p>\n
As Ms Brennan\u2019s coffin was brought into the church in M\u00edn U\u00ed Bhaoill, \u2018Peacemaker\u2019 by Moya, featuring the voice of her son, Paul, when he was 4 years old, played through the church speakers.<\/p>\n
Symbols of her life were brought to the altar before the funeral mass began. They included a harp, two family photos, a bodhr\u00e1n – representing Clubbeo, a concert lanyard, a prayer book and a Donegal jersey.<\/p>\n
In his homily, Principal Celebrant Fr Brian \u00d3 Fearraigh spoke about the joy Ms Brennan gave to many people in her life.<\/p>\n
“On that Monday night last, that M\u00e1ire died, it seemed as if, a sacred silence had descended for a while; the music stood still, and her beautiful harp stood silently in the corner of her room, as though keeping its own quiet vigil of respect and honour.<\/p>\n
“It was as if, the silence itself seemed to sing M\u00e1ire into eternity and home to heaven.<\/p>\n
“But only for a short while, because 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.<\/p>\n
The eldest of nine children, Moya brought the distinctive musical tradition of the Donegal Gaeltacht to a global audience.<\/p>\n
Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh referenced the first word\u2019s Moya\u2019s mother, Baba, said to him when her daughter passed away: “Mheall s\u00ed lena gl\u00f3rtha\u00ed m\u00e9 \u2026 She enticed me with her voice.”<\/p>\n
Watch: Moya Brennan’s music ‘spoke the language of every human heart’<\/p>\n
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“It was as though a mother, who knows and understands music herself, and at that very moment broken by grief, reached instinctively for the language of song, of music, of meaning, of purpose, because ordinary words were no longer enough,” he said.<\/p>\n
Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh described Ms Brennan as a woman of “music and melody, a woman of motherhood and mission”, referencing her deep faith.<\/p>\n
He cited the words of Moya\u2019s fellow musician and dear friend Mairead N\u00ed Mhaonaigh of Alt\u00e1n, who said: “It was always the song for M\u00e1ire, and the voice, and her beautiful, unique sound. She may be gone, but the voice will remain.”<\/p>\n
Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh said: “M\u00e1ire sang for uasal and \u00eds\u00e9al, Popes and Presidents, and for the poor of this earth and the forgotten, yet her music belonged to all, crossing every boundary, because in a way, it spoke the language of every human heart.<\/p>\n
He said her music found a home in every heart that cared to throw open its doors and listen<\/p>\n
“It has been said that, through her voice and her gifted playing of the harp, M\u00e1ire carried the rugged beauty, that quiet strength, the ancient, timeless mystery, and rich soul of Donegal to audiences right across the world,” Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh said.<\/p>\n
Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh said that at the centre of M\u00e1ire\u2019s life was always the love of family, whom he described as the true joy of her heart.<\/p>\n
\nSinger, songwriter and harpist Moya Brennan was the voice and face of the family band Clannad<\/p>\n
He said Ms Brennan gave expression not only to melody, but to the deep spirit, beauty, and soul of her people and place.
While Moya performed with many acclaimed artists, she remained a familiar presence in Teach Leo in west Donegal, where she curated open mic nights with new artists.<\/p>\n
The funeral mass heard that Ms Brennan took great pride in championing young artists on the same stage where she found her voice in her family pub, Teach Leo.<\/p>\n
Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh said the funeral mass was a celebration of a kind life, well lived, woven with scripture, poetry, and songs chosen by M\u00e1ire herself.<\/p>\n
A recording of Perfect Time sung by Ms Brennan, a song she co-wrote with her husband Tim, was played following communion.<\/p>\n
Concelebrants included Parish Priest Emeritus of Gort an Choirce, Fr Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Gallch\u00f3ir, Fr Michael McCullagh of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), Curate of Creeslough Parish, Father John Joe Duffy, Fr P\u00e1draig \u00d3 Baoighill, Parish Priest Emeritus of Gaoth Dobhair and Parish Priest of Dunfanaghy, Father Martin Doohan, Moya\u2019s second cousin.<\/p>\n
Following the funeral mass, the congregation stood and applaused all the musicians who performed during the funeral mass.<\/p>\n
Artists included C\u00f3r Ph\u00e1draig, C\u00f3r Mhuire, Eoin \u00d3 Fearraigh, Cormac de Barra, Daniel and Majella O\u2019Donnell, Mair\u00e9ad N\u00ed Mhaonaigh, Maighread N\u00ed Dhomhnaill and Clann Mhic Ruair\u00ed.<\/p>\n
Ms Brennan\u2019s will be laid to rest in \u00darchill Mhuire, Machaire Gathl\u00e1n.<\/p>\n
As her coffin was carried from Teach Phobail Ph\u00e1draig Naofa, Clann Mhic Ruair\u00ed and C\u00f3r Ph\u00e1draig and C\u00f3r Mhuire sang Th\u00edos Cois na Tr\u00e1 [Down by the Beach].<\/p>\n
The traditional Irish song recorded by Clannad in 1973 fondly remembers past generations and loved ones, while the tide comes in at a seaside graveyard.<\/p>\n
“T\u00e1 na coiligh ag glaoch ‘s t\u00e1 na r\u00e9alta a’ b\u00e1n\u00fa,<\/p>\n
“T\u00e1 an ghealach ina lu\u00ed agus n\u00ed fada go l\u00e1,<\/p>\n
“Sl\u00e1n agat anois a sheanreilig bheannaithe,<\/p>\n
“Agus ag na daoine a shi\u00faladh liom thart cois na tr\u00e1.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The funeral mass for musician Moya Brennan in Gaoth Dobhair, Co Donegal, heard her music belonged to all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":403668,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-403667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/403668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}