The face of Irish folk music, Clannad star Moya Brennan has died aged 73.
Brennan was widely recognized as the voice of Celtic Ireland.
The singer, harpist and songwriter died in Donegal surrounded by loved ones.
Moya Brennan, who was the face of Irish music, best known as part of the Irish Family Band that formed in the 1970s and later won a Bafta and a Grammy for their folk album.
She was born in West Donegal as Maire Philomena on 5 August 1952, the eldest of nine children in the famous O’Braonain family.
Moya Brennan rose to fame when she started appearing with her family in Clannad.
Moya and her siblings, Pol and Ciaran, along with their twin uncles Noel and Padraig O Dugain, began singing regularly in the family pub in Min na Leice.
The band went by the name Clan som Dobhar (Family from Dore), but shortened their name to Clannad in 1973.
Their big break came in 1982 when their theme song for the TV series Harry’s Game became a worldwide sensation.
For context, it was the first Irish-language track to reach the UK charts, which they played on Top of the Pops.
The song won an Ivor Novello Award, with a Grammy and a Billboard Music Award later on the way.
Clannad didn’t stop there, they crashed the charts again with another number one duet Bono, Once In a Lifetime.
The band would go on to release 25 albums and sell 20 million records globally.
She is survived by her husband, Tim Jarvis, and their two children, Aisling and Paul.
