Moya Brennan, singer and founding member of Clannad, dies aged 73
Moya Brennan, the singer, harpist and founding member of Clannad, died yesterday on April 13, 2026, aged 73. Irish media reported the news, citing a family statement that said she died peacefully in Donegal, surrounded by loved ones.
Tributes have already followed from Irish political leaders. Taoiseach Micheál Martin called Brennan “an iconic Irish voice,” while Tánaiste Simon Harris said she went from Gweedore to international recognition with Clannad.
Tributes from fellow Irish musicians quickly followed. Donegal singer Daniel O’Donnell said he and his wife were “deeply saddened” by the death of their “dear friend” and called her “a beautiful lady who will be greatly missed.” Gaoth Dobhair singer and fiddler Mairéad Nà Mhaonaigh, who co-founded Altan and also performed with Brennan in T with the Maggies, said Brennan “paved the way for people like myself to come along” and called her “my hero growing up.”
Fiachna Ó Braonáin, guitarist and vocalist with Hothouse Flowers, said it was “an absolute privilege to be in her world,” adding that “She always made you feel you were part of the family.” Frances Black, the Dublin singer who first came to prominence with The Black Family and later became an independent senator, described Brennan as “one of the most beautiful people I know in the music industry.”
In a comment Chicane (real name Nick Bracegirdle, the British electronic/dance producer known for hits like “Saltwater,” which featured Moya Brennan and Clannad) posted a personal tribute: “I am deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Moya Brennan, she & her Clannad bandmates were responsible for some the most emotive music I have ever been privileged to hear & am eternally grateful for her letting me create Saltwater & get involved in the project RIP”
I am deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Moya Brennan, she & her Clannad bandmates were responsible for some the most emotive music I have ever been privileged to hear & am eternally grateful for her letting me create Saltwater & get involved in the project RIP 🙏
— Chicane // Nick B (@NickChicane) April 14, 2026
Her most widely known crossover collaboration came in 1986 with Bono of U2 on “In a Lifetime”. The duet appeared on Clannad’s “Macalla” album and was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. It became one of the band’s defining international songs and remained important enough in Clannad’s catalogue that the group later used its title for the 2019 retrospective “In a Lifetime” and the farewell tour that followed.
About Moya Brennan
Born Máire Nà Bhraonáin in 1952, Brennan was the eldest of nine children in the Brennan family from Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal. She became the lead voice of Clannad and remained central to the group’s identity across its original run, reunion years and farewell period.
Clannad was formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings Pól, Ciarán and Máire (Moya) Brennan with their twin uncles Pádraig and Noel Duggan. The group first performed at the family-run Leo’s Tavern and broke through internationally with “Harry’s Game” in 1982. Clannad later won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album for “Landmarks”.
Brennan also maintained a solo career outside the band. We last covered her in January 2021, when she teamed up with Trance Wax on “Rivers”, which marked a return to trance after her earlier appearance on Chicane’s “Saltwater”.
Clannad completed its “In a Lifetime Farewell Tour” in October 2024 with a final show at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
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