Moya Brennan: Celtic music's first lady on clans, creativity and U2

Moya Brennan achieved mainstream success in the 1980s with Clannad, who wrote the theme tunes to TV shows Harry's Game and Robin of Sherwood

Moya Brennan is known as the first lady of Celtic music.

And since the start of her music career in Irish folk group Clannad, Brennan says she has tried to push creative boundaries and embrace experimentation.

In 1982, Clannad - which is the Irish word for family - became the first band to sing in Irish on Top of the Pops.

Since then, Brennan, who is the sister of Enya, has collaborated with the likes of the late Shane MacGowan, U2 frontman Bono and Chris de Burgh.

She told BBC Radio Ulster's Irish Music Icons series that U2 frontman Bono, whom she duetted with on the Clannad song In a Lifetime, inspired her to try new things creatively.

Moya Brennan said U2's Bono encouraged her to try new things in the studio

"There was always respect between U2 and Clannad," Brennan told BBC presenter Lynette Fay.

"Bono said [he'd] come into studio and see what the story was. The two of us started singing Eurovision songs together actually.

"I learned a lot from him. I would have been very shy about singing in the studio.

"Bono came in and he just didn't care what people thought and it was amazing."

She said it taught her a lesson: "Anytime I'm in the studio, I'll try anything.

"If there's anything in my head now, I'll try it.

"Nine times out of 10 it works. The 1% that it doesn't, I laugh myself silly."

Musical family

Based in their hometown of Gweedore, County Donegal, Clannad was formed in the 1970s.

It consisted of siblings Ciarán, Pól and Moya Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan.

Their younger sister was recruited to the band in the late 1970s and went on to have international solo success as Enya.

Clannad was formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal

The group enjoyed exploring unconventional arrangements of folk songs and the use of sibling harmonies that were not common for music in the Irish language.

They didn't dress or act like traditional Irish folk artists either, helping them carve out a new space in a flourishing scene.

Brennan recalls how they began writing to boarding schools in the early days to try to get daytime gigs and expand their audience.

"We wrote to about 100 schools," she said.

"We'd arrive at the convent and the nuns would come out and say [that] there were only 30 people coming.

"But we knew what would happen because once we opened the van [and] started taking the instruments out - the boys with the long hair, the girls hanging out the windows looking down - they thought it was a céilí band that was coming or something.

"By the time we had the gear up - a couple of speakers and whatever - the whole school would be at the gig.

"I still meet people around the world today that saw me there."

Clannad on Top of the Pops

In 1982, the Theme from Harry's Game changed everything for the band.

English and American psychedelic rock influences led to their evolution from acoustic beginnings to experimentation with vocal harmonies and electronic instruments.

The song was performed on Top of the Pops where its haunting harmonies struck a chord with audiences around the world.

Moya Brennan with her family

In more recent times, Brennan has built a successful solo career where she continues to try new things like dabbling in the world of dance music alongside the likes of Chicane, Ryan Vail and the Elma Orkestra.

"I feel really blessed that people like my voice, that they feel there is something there. It's lovely being appreciated and respected for that," she said.

"I love doing new things, and things with different people.

"The tree is there but you can add as many branches to it as you want."

But she admits she finds it "difficult to say no to things".

A BBC webpage about Moya's life and career can be found here.

Irish Music Icons - Moya Brennan is available now on BBC Sounds.