{"id":404585,"date":"2026-04-18T05:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T05:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/404585\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T05:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T05:02:13","slug":"moya-brennan-celebrated-in-music-and-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/404585\/","title":{"rendered":"Moya Brennan celebrated in music and memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

There was a sacred silence when Moya Brennan slipped into her eternal rest on Monday night, Gweedore Parish Priest Brian \u00d3 Fearraigh recalled.<\/p>\n

After a life well lived, of melodies, family and culture, the music stood still.<\/p>\n

Not long afterwards, as news of M\u00e1ire N\u00ed Bhraon\u00e1in\u2019s death reached around the world, music echoed across the airwaves in celebration of her life\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Even today, at her Funeral Mass in Teach Pobail Ph\u00e1draig Naofa, recordings of Moya\u2019s ethereal voice filled the church sanctuary, with accompaniments from C\u00f3r Ph\u00e1draig and C\u00f3r Mhuire.<\/p>\n

In the corner, her beloved harp stood in silent vigil.<\/p>\n

Through a career spanning 25 albums and 20 million record sales with both Clannad and as a soloist, Moya\u2019s harp and voice gave timeless beauty to countless concerts and artistic creations. Clannad earned Ivor Novello and BAFTA awards and a Grammy award from five nominations.<\/p>\n

Though unable to be present today, Moya\u2019s mother Baba hailed her daughter\u2019s gift in the hours after her passing at Upper Dore.<\/p>\n

\u201cMheall s\u00ed lena gl\u00f3rtha\u00ed m\u00e9\u2026She enticed me with her voice,\u201d M\u00e1ire (Baba) Brennan said of her eldest child.<\/p>\n

Those words were repeated through the chapel in radiant song.<\/p>\n

In the words of M\u00e1ire\u2019s fellow musician and dear friend Mair\u00e9ad N\u00ed Mhaonaigh of Altan, \u201cIt was always the song for M\u00e1ire, and the voice, and her beautiful unique sound. She may be gone, but the voice will remain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moya\u2019s influence set the tone for a celebration of her life in the days after her passing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show must go on, as she said, and the show did go on, under her direction,\u201d Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh recalled.<\/p>\n

Moya herself selected the music and poetry that would carry her loved ones through their days of grief, from the yearning of \u2018California Dreaming\u2019 to the hidden strength of the poem \u2018Scaffolding\u2019 by Seamus Heaney.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 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,\u201d Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh said.<\/p>\n

Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh told mourners how Moya\u2019s music found a home in every open heart.<\/p>\n

She sang to the noble and to the lowly, to Popes and Presidents, he said.<\/p>\n

Moya sang before Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, as well as for millions of pilgrims, and in 2004 she sang at the Speakers Luncheon in front of US President George W Bush.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer music belonged to all, crossing every boundary, because in a way, it spoke the language of every human heart,\u201d Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoya Brennan was above all, a woman of music and melody, a woman of motherhood, and a woman of mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Moya’s husband Tim Jarvis and children Aisling and Paul arrive at Teach Pobail Ph\u00e1draig Naofa, M\u00edn U\u00ed Bhaoill, Gaoth Dobhair. NW Newspix<\/p>\n

Moya is survived by her husband Tim Jarvis, daughter Aisling (Kayleigh), son Paul (Lara), granddaughter Eden, mother M\u00e1ire (\u2018Baba\u2019) Brennan, sisters Deirdre, Enya, Olive and Br\u00edd\u00edn, brothers Ciar\u00e1n, P\u00f3l and Bartley and her extended family and many friends. She was predeceased by her father Leo Brennan, brother Leon Brennan, uncles Noel and Padraig Duggan and aunt Br\u00edd Duggan.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAt the centre of M\u00e1ire\u2019s life was always the love of family,\u201d said Fr \u00d3 Fearraigh.<\/p>\n

Among those from the music world who gathered in tribute, and who shared their talents during the service, were Daniel and Majella O\u2019Donnell, Eoin Ferry, Clann Mhic Ruair\u00ed, Maighread N\u00ed Dhomhnaill and Altan\u2019s Mair\u00e9ad N\u00ed Mhaonaigh.<\/p>\n

Ciar\u00e1n and P\u00f3l Brennan, the two surviving members of Clannad, performed \u2018Eleanor Plunkett\u2019 after communion, while the spirited notes of the harp came from Cormac de Barra, a close musical collaborator whose album with Moya reached the ballot for the 67th Grammy Awards.<\/p>\n

Mickey Joe Harte, rising star Muireann Bradley, Brian Kennedy, Andrea Corr and U2 bandmates The Edge, Larry Mullan and Adam Clayton were in attendance along with frontman Bono, who famously collaborated with Moya on Clannad\u2019s 1985 hit \u2018In a Lifetime\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Edge and Bono arriving at the funeral of Moya Brennan at Teach Pobail Phadraig Naofa. (North West Newspix)<\/p>\n

As a mark of respect from the State, Uachtar\u00e1n na h\u00c9ireann Catherine Connolly was represented by her aide-de-camp Commandant Barry Dolan, while Commandant Joseph Glennon, represented An Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin.<\/p>\n

Cathaoirleach of Donegal, Councillor Paul Canning, was in attendance, as were TDs Pearse Doherty and Pat \u2018The Cope\u2019 Gallagher and others from the political world.<\/p>\n

Concelebrating the Mass were An tAthair Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Gallch\u00f3ir, Parish Priest Emeritus of Gort an Choirce, Father Michael McCullagh CM of the Vincentians, Father John Joe Duffy CC, curate in Creeslough parish, An Sagart P\u00e1draig \u00d3 Baoighill, former Parish Priest of Gaoth Dobhair, and Father Martin Doohan, Parish Priest of Dunfanaghy and Moya\u2019s second cousin.<\/p>\n

Shuttle buses brought people from both Ionad Naomh P\u00e1draig and Teach Paid\u00ed \u00d3ig to the remote church, which was swelling to overflowing by the time the wicker casket was shouldered inside.<\/p>\n

Moya’s beloved harp was brought to the altar by Matthew Brennan, and other symbols of her life presented included a family photo, a Club bodhr\u00e1n from Leo\u2019s Tavern – the family\u2019s famous pub in Meenaleck – a lanyard from her last concert, a prayer book and a Donegal jersey.<\/p>\n

Moya was known as the First Lady of Celtic music, and among her proudest moments at home were being honoured as the 2023 Donegal Person of the Year while Clannad was awarded the Freedom of Donegal in 2024.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Moya Brennan and husband Tim Jarvis with daughter Aisling and son Paul, as she was announced as the Donegal Person of the Year 2023. Photo by Eoin Mc Garvey<\/p>\n

Readings were given by Bartley Brennan and Anne Jarvis while prayers of the faithful were read by Sinead Campbell, Caitr\u00edona Duggan, Owen McDaid, Anna Brennan, Kaya Brennan, Hannah O\u2019Donnell and Alannah Brennan.<\/p>\n

A message of condolence from Bishop Niall Coll, Bishop of Raphoe, gave thanks for the gift of Moya\u2019s life and \u201cfor the joy and inspiration she brought to so many, and for the lasting legacy she leaves behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

A round of applause and standing ovation to Moya followed Fr Brian \u00d3 Fearraigh’s eloquent words: \u201cAn Ceol, it is such a powerful medium, that can touch the human heart, it can raise the heart and can open the very soul of the person, and we thank Moya for all of that, for all that she did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moya Brennan was laid to rest in Magheragallon Cemetery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There was a sacred silence when Moya Brennan slipped into her eternal rest on Monday night, Gweedore Parish…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":404586,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-404585","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\/404585","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=404585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/404586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}