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THE SIGHT OF Moya and her beloved husband, Tim Jarvis, strolling along one of Gaoth Dobhair’s many beautiful sandy beaches, arm in arm, full of the joy and laughter that a life well shared brings forth, keeps coming into my mind’s eye today, as I process the sad news of Moya Brennan’s passing.
That and the time Hothouse Flowers shared the stage with Moya at a gig on the site of the old Windmill Lane studio. Moya was leading us through Clannad’s famed duet In A Lifetime, with Liam taking Bono’s vocal parts and the rest of us desperately trying to conceal any underrehearsed musical waverings, when suddenly out of the crowd appeared her daughter Aisling sitting atop her brother Paul’s shoulders, arms waving energetically and divilishly at their beloved mother onstage!
Were they messing around, trying to distract her or showing their undying love?! Probably both!
Some might say they didn’t lick it off a stone!
Family was hugely important to Moya, coming from a family of nine in Donegal’s Gaoth Dobhair Gaeltacht area. Her father, Leo, and her mother, Máire (affectionately known as Baba), opened Leo’s Tavern in the late 1960s with the specific aim of establishing a music venue in the area.
Her band, Clannad, was all about family and their deep roots in music… not just Irish music but ALL music… music to soothe your soul, music to dance to, music to meditate with or music to make you cry. Moya did it all uniquely and beautifully with that exceptional, otherworldly voice of hers.
As a young lad growing up immersed in the Irish language, it was the source of huge pride and excitement to witness Clannad become the first band to ever perform as Gaeilge on Top Of The Pops. What a massive cultural win it was for all of us! From this moment on, we all sang with our shoulders held a little further back and our voices raised a little louder.
Not only was family hugely important for Moya, but she also made us all feel like family. There were never any airs or graces, just pure generosity of spirit, anytime I ran into her, as I did over the years.
There were many spontaneous encounters at the Glastonbury Festival, which she, Tim and the kids often attended. Lively chats would ensue about the music, like the magic of Keith Jarrett performing Live at Koln, one of her inspired music choices on An Seomra Glas, an RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta series I presented.
She was always so generous with her time. Moya and Tim invited myself and Brian Reddin of Dearg Films into her world for an extended period of time some years ago to make a TV documentary about her life for TG4.
We started filming ‘Moya’ in Dublin’s Vicar Street, where, as part of the RTÉ Folk Awards, Moya was being presented with a lifetime achievement award by our then President, Michael D Higgins.
I ran around with a cameraman and a microphone speaking to everyone from the President himself to her great pal Mairéad Ni Mhaonaigh of the band Altan, to Ralph McTell and many others.
Everyone’s experience of Moya had a common thread running through it … a love of the beautiful way she had with people and her extraordinary, transporting voice. And to witness Moya playing at the end of the night with her band, which by now included her husband Tim on cello, her daughter Aisling on guitar, and her son Paul on keyboards, was pure elevation. A testament to her love of music and family and to all the points at which they can cross.
Our film travelled from Dublin to Donegal, where stories of how her father played and encouraged music in his pub, Leo’s Tavern, were told with pride and fondness.
Leo’s is where Moya, until very recently, ran Club Beo, offering young musicians from the area and beyond a place to perform. A warm, safe and encouraging space, the creation of which came so naturally to her.
I will miss the chat, the cups of tea, the laughter and the warmth… and of course that extraordinary otherworldly voice.
Solas na bhflaitheas go bhfeice si.
Ni bheidh a leithéid arís ann.
Fiachna Ó Braonáin is a musician and broadcaster from Dublin, Ireland. He is a founding member of the Hothouse Flowers.
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