~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - CLANNAD - Frequently Asked Questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Issue 5 9 June 1997 Maintained by John Whatmough INTRODUCTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a FAQ for the Irish band CLANNAD. Please send any new material, comments, corrections, and suggestions you may have to: clannad@jtwinc.com New or updated sections are indicated with a '*'. NEWS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ o No new concert info. The World "Lore" Tour appears to be over. o Upcoming Album: Celtic Collection o New Collaboration: "Norland Wind" by Thomas Loefke features Ciaran Brennan and Padraig and Noel Duggan and is distributed by Celtic Heartbeat. o New Collections: "Very Best Of & More" - Released in England, supposedly has 9 "rare" tracks "The Ultimate Collection" - Released in England "Rohga: The Best of Clannad" - Released in the US o New Soundtrack: "Forces of Nature" on the "Warriors of Virtue" soundtrack was performed by Clannad. QUESTIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Burning Questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0.1 Did Clannad recently break up? The Band ~~~~~~~~ 1.1 How is 'Clannad' pronounced and what does it mean? 1.2 How are the band member's names pronounced? 1.3 Where is Clannad from? 1.4 How was the band formed? 1.5 What was their 'big break'? 1.6 Does Clannad tour? What is the current tour schedule? 1.7 What is the connection with Enya? 1.8 Did Maire leave the band? 1.9 What's the latest news on the Brennan family? 1.10 Is Maire Brennan married? A mother? 1.11 Why did Pol Brennan leave Clannad? The Music ~~~~~~~~~ 2.1 What records and videos have been released? 2.2 Is there a more detailed discography available? 2.3 Have I heard Clannad at the movies and on TV? 2.4 When is their next album coming out? 2.5 What solo albums have been released? The Language ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3.1 What is that language they sing in? 3.2 Where can I get translations? 3.3 Are there any Irish Gaelic Resources on the Internet? The Rest ~~~~~~~~ 4.1 Are there any fan clubs? 4.2 Have any articles or interviews been transcribed? 4.3 How can I contact Clannad? Are they on the net? 4.4 Which Usenet newsgroups discuss Clannad? 4.5 Are there any Clannad WWW homepages? 4.6 Is there a mailing list? 4.7 What other artists make music simliar to Clannad's? ANSWERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Burning Questions ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0.1 Did Clannad recently break up? No. For some reason, after Clannad canceled several concert venues, it was announced in 1996 that Clannad broke up. This is simply not the case. The Band ~~~~~~~~ 1.1 How is 'Clannad' pronounced and what does it mean? The word 'Clannad' is pronounced CLAN-ehd. Some people, especially in the US have taken to calling it clan-AHD, but this is incorrect. This information comes from the 'PastPresent' video and from interviews with the band. Clannad was originally named 'an clann as Dobhar' meaning 'family from Dore.' The name was latter shortened to 'Clannad.' 1.2 How are the band member's names pronounced? The band members are Maire (MOYA) and Ciaran (KEERON) Brennan, and Noel and Padraig (PORIC) Duggan. Maire and Ciaran are brother and sister, and Noel and Padraig are their twin uncles. A third Brennan sibling, Paul, left Clannad in 1989. 1.3 Where is Clanand from? The Brennans and Duggans were born and raised in the village of Gweedore in County Donegal, Ireland. There they learned the traditional Irish songs that they would turn into hits. Because of its geographic proximity to Northern Ireland, the conflict between the two Irelands has taken a heavy toll in county Donegal. Both the rugged beauty of the land, and the harsh political climate, have helped shape the music of Clannad into harmonies which are at the same time magical and haunting. 1.4 How was the band formed? From the insert of the 1993 release of 'Fuaim': Clannad's musical family tree extends back many years. In the 1950's, Leo Brennan (father of Maire, Ciaran, and Paul) formed a show band, playing popular tunes on saxophone and clarinet and highland reels on the accordian. His wife is a music teacher who plays organ and harmonium, while her parents were villiage teachers steeped in old and ancient Irish folklore. When Leo saw that his band's days were numbered, he acquired an old tavern in the area, where he still entertains today. "The house was always open to music," states Maire. "What this meant to us was a small stage to perform on." The band's genesis came when Maire (on vocals and Irish harp), Ciaran (on double bass and vocals), Paul (on tin whistles, flute, and vocals), Noel (on guitar), and Padraig (on mandolin and harmonica) would come up on stage to join Leo in a song. Soon the quintet was performing on its own. A typical set would range from the Beatles to a traditional song, from Donovan to a Joni Mitchell song in Gaelic. 1.5 What was their 'big break'? Clannad had two big breaks. The first came in 1970. As the Fuaim insert states: ...Clannad won first prize in the prestigious Letterkenny Folk Festival, which included the opportunity to record an album. "We went into the festival for a bit of fun," recalls Ciaran, "and to our suprise, we won." Thus, Clannad recorded their first album, called simply 'Clannad' and decided to go into the music business professionally. Clannad's second big break occured in 1982 when they were asked to create the theme to 'Harry's Game', a three part television thriller about Northern Ireland. From the insert: The song, which was sung in Gaelic, reached the top five of the British charts that November. "Harry's Game" was also nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award, and recieved the Ivor Novello award, England's equivalent of the Grammy. The resulting album was called 'Magical Ring' which was on the U.K. album charts for over six months earning the group their first gold record award. 'Harry's Game' hit the top five on the British charts, a feat more amazing when considering that the song was in Irish Gaelic, not English. This would be the first of many television and movie contracts which would propel the band to the forefront of Irish music, and notoriety across the world. 1.6 Does Clannad tour? Clannad usually tours after a major album release. Primarily, Clannad tours Europe, but recently there have been more American tours. The last major tour of America was after "Banba" was released in 1993. Clannad toured Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand in 1996 to promote their new Lore album. Originally the United States was to be included as well but currently Clannad has not toured there and has not announced any plans to do so. It appears there was some sort of disagreement with Atlantic records. 1.7 What is the connection with Enya? Enya is the younger sister of Maire, Ciaran, and Paul. She assisted Clannad on and off for years. In 1978 she played keyboard for the album 'Crann Ull' and would later perform vocals on 'Fuaim' in 1982. After Fuaim, she left the band to seek her own solo career, phoneticizing her name, originally 'Eithne', to Enya. 1.8 Did Maire leave the band? Maire has recently recorded two solo albums, leading many to believe that she has left the band. This is not the case. Maire is still an integral part of Clannad and has no apparent plans to leave. 1.9 What's the latest news on the Brennan family? Clannad is still performing. Currently, the band consists of Maire, Ciaran, Noel, and Padraig. Paul left the group in 1989 to record 'Trisan', a hybrid between Celtic and Japanese musical styles. He is recording a new album, slated to come out in the fall. Clannad's most recent original album, 'Lore', was released in 1996, and their most recent collection album, 'Rogha: The Best of Clannad', was released in 1997. Maire has released two solo albums, 'Maire' (1992) and 'Misty Eyed Adventures' (1994). Enya has recently re-released her first album, 'Enya', with the new name 'The Celts'. This update includes her comments about the songs on the album. In late 1995 Enya released a new album: "The Memory of Trees". Sisters Deirdre, Olive and Bridin feature on both of Maire's albums, and Bridin has also toured and recorded with Clannad as a backing vocalist. Olive married in 1994 and now lives in London. Her former job as manager of Leo's Tavern (see 1.4) has been taken over by her brothers Leon and Bartley. Much of this information comes from Dave Allum's Enya FAQ. 1.10 Is Maire Brennan married? A mother? Maire Brennan is indeed married and has two children. Her husband is Tim Jarvis, an English photographer. Her first child's name is Aisling, who was born in 1992. 1.11 Why did Pol Brennan leave the band? Pol Brennan was one of the pillars of Clannad. A founding member and a co-writer for the band's first 12 albums, Pol is obviously quite talented and has breathed much life into the quintet. So why did he decide to leave? According to the insert for Pol's post Clannad album "Trisan": I left Clannad in 1990 because I felt I was in need of furthur musical challenges and horizons. If someone had told me that by the end of September 1991 I would have embarked on a world tour with two Oriental musicians, I would not have believed them! Based on this it seems that Pol left on good terms to pursue his own efforts. In much the same way as Maire has produced her solo albums, Pol wished to experiment beyond the bounds of Clannad. Although the album "Trisan" is somewhat raw, it holds great promise. A worthy addition to any Brennan family collection. The Music ~~~~~~~~~ 2.1 What records and videos have been released? Albums: 1973 Clannad 1975 Clannad 2 1977 Dulaman 1978 Clannad in Concert 1978 Ring of Gold 1980 Crann Ull 1980 Fuiam 1982 Magical Ring 1984 Legend 1985 Macalla 1988 Sirius 1989 Angel and the Soldier Boy 1989 PastPresent 1989 Atlantic Realm 1991 Anam 1993 Banba 1996 Lore Collections: 1990 The Collection 1995 Themes 1997 Rogha: The Best of Clannad 1997 Clannad: The Ultimate Collection 1997 The Very Best of Clannad Videos: 1989 PastPresent 2.2 Is there a more detailed discography available? A more detailed discography discography is available from the following sources: Unofficial Clannad Website - http://www.jtwinc.com/clannad Clannad Homepage - http://140.148.1.16/clannad/clann.shtml Clannad Discography - celtic.stanford.edu in directory /pub/artists/Clannad 2.3 Have I heard Clannad at the movies and on TV? Many Clannad songs have been used in films and television, including: 1982 Harry's Game - Harry's Game 1984 Robin of Sherwood - "Legend" Album, Caislean Oir 1989 Atlantic Realm - "Atlantic Realm" Album 1989 The Angel and the Soldier Boy - "Angel and the Soldier Boy" Album 1991 Patriot's Game - Harry's Game, In A Lifetime 1992 Switch - Both Sides Now (M. Brennan) 1993 Last of the Mohicans - I Will Find You 19?? Into the West - In a Lifetime 19?? The Dolphin Connection - The Dolphin Connection Theme 19?? One World One Voice - Ri Na Cruinne 1997 Warriors of Virtue - Forces of Nature And of course, the famous "Volkswagon Commercial" featuring Harry's Game. 2.4 When is the next album coming out? The next Clannad Album is apparently a collection called "Celtic Collection". The release date is not known. 2.5 What solo albums have been released? Maire Brennan: 1992 Maire 1995 Misty Eyed Adventures Pol Brennan: 1992 Trisan The Language ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3.1 What is that language they sing in? Clannad sings in both English and Irish Gaelic. Irish Gaelic is the native language of Ireland, now spoken only on the west coast. Irish Gaelic is part of the Celtic language family, related to Scots Gaelic, Manx Gaelic, and Breton. The song 'I Will Find You' from the 'Banba' album was featured in the movie 'Last of the Mohicans' and contains words in Mohican and Cherokee. 3.2 Where can I get translations? Currently, there is no centralized place to get translations of the Gaelic songs. I and other fans on the net are currently trying to find people who can provide translations. As songs are translated, they will be posted to the Unofficial Clannad Website at: http://www.jtwinc.com/clannad Some translations are also availible at: ftp://celtic.stanford.edu/pub/artists/Clannad.lyrics 3.3 Are there any Irish Gaelic Resources on the Internet? There are several Irish Gaelic homepages where you can contact Irish speakers, get translations, and even get net courses in Gaelic. They are: The Archives of GAELIC-L - http://yeats.csufresno.edu/GAELIC-L.HTML Oideas Gael - http://www.xs4all.nl/~conaill/Oideas_Gael/oideas.html Gaelic and Gaelic Culture - http://sunsite.unc.edu/gaelic/ Gramadach.a Index - http://hulk.sfsu.edu:7890/~jtm/Gramadach/ The Rest ~~~~~~~~ 4.1 Are there any fan clubs? There are currently no Clannad fan clubs. Myself and other fans have been thinking about changing that. 4.2 Have any articles or interviews been transcribed? Currently a very few interviews have been transcribed and placed on John Whatmough's Unofficial Clannad Website. More articles are coming though. 4.3 How can Clannad be contacted? Clannad can be reached through their management company: Upfront Management Ltd. 14/15 Sir John Rogerson's Quay Dublin 2 Ireland I have not been successful in getting a reply as yet. Clannad does not appear to be on the internet. 4.4 What Usenet newsgroups discuss Clannad? The newsgroup alt.music.clannad is dedicated to Clannad, but had been left vacant for a while, so most providers have eliminated it. Recently, more fans have been using the newsgroup. If you cannot connect, ask your provider to add alt.music.clannad to their list of newsgroups. Like I said, people are using it. Clannad is discussed primarily on alt.music.enya. Because most people cannot access the Clannad newsgroup itself, they have turned to the Enya newsgroup to express themselves. Clannad is occasionally discussed in rec.music.celtic as well. 4.5 Are there any Clannad WWW homepages? There are two homepages devoted to Clannad: Unofficial Clannad Website - Webmaster: John Whatmough URL: http://www.jtwinc.com/clannad Clannad Homepage - Webmaster: Charles Turnbull URL: http://140.148.1.16/clannad/clann.shtml The Robin of Sherwood Homepage also contains information of interest to Clannad fans at: http://www.interport.net/~logomanc/ros.html 4.6 Is there a mailing list? Yes, there are now two Clannad Mailing Lists! The Clannad Information Service (If you just want news): Address: clannad@jtwinc.com Maintainer: John Whatmough To join: Send an E-mail message with the word "subscribe" in the subject field. The Magical Ring (If you want to chat with fans): Address: clannad@asgard.law.und.NoDak.edu Maintainer: Robert Bohanek To join: Send an E-mail message with the word "subscribe" in the subject field to join. 4.7 What other artists make music simliar to Clannad's? Although no other band can quite compare with the 'Clannad Sound', there are several other musicians with styles similar to Clannad's: Enya Mailing List : majordomo@cs.colorado.edu World Wide Web: http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccsdra/enya/home.html Loreena McKennitt Mailing List : old-ways-request@tomservo.b23b.ingr.com World Wide Web: http://www.halcyon.com/coolweb/loreena.html Sarah McLachlan Mailing List : fte-request@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au World Wide Web: http://www.ccs.itd.umich.edu/~hubt/sarah/ Capercaillie World Wide Web: http://www.colloquium.co.uk/capercaillie/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~