New Album Inspired by Early Morning Visit to Ancient Hill of Tara
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
Moya Brennan has been at the heart of some wonderful records. She enjoyed many years as the voice of Clannad, one of Ireland's most respected acts. Her music has graced international film soundtracks, spiritual recordings, several television series and even dance anthems. Her status as an iconic singer is assured. And she rightly believes that her new release, Two Horizons, is another special moment.
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"I think it's the best thing I've done," she enthuses, "I'm loving it. I've never heard my voice sound the way it does now. The production is fantastic and the harp sounds amazing, which is very much a part of what the record is about."
Moya Brennan recently spoke to The Celtic Connection from her home in County Donegal, about her recently released album and about how it all came about as a result of an early morning visit to the ancient Hill of Tara in County Meath, Ireland – once home to the High Kings of Ireland.
“Actually a very dear friend of mine who is an historian and knows a lot about Tara told me that the best times to see Tara is at sunset or sunrise, so I went up at half five in the morning,” Moya said.
“It was cold and dark but I was so lucky because it was a clear sky. It was an incredible sight to see the moon on the horizon and the sun on the rise. It was a coming together of what Tara is meant to be and the feeling that the kings must had about this amazing meeting place.
“There are no ruins on Tara now, just overgrown mounds and outlines. There is still the mound of the hostages – the place where hostages were exchanged. They wouldn’t be just any hostages, but rather very important hostages, the sons of kings, that kind of thing. You can also see the round where the king’s throne was and the stone of destiny, which they claim is the real stone of destiny. It’s really breathtaking. “
These experiences inspired Moya to incorporate them into her new album. She said, “on track number seven entitled Tara, the wind sound that you hear on that track was actually recorded on Tara, so you have a little bit of Tara in your house when you listen to it.
“What I am trying to bring back to Tara are the wonderful days of music, art and reconciliation at the time of the High Kings. What I found amazing was that for such an important place as Tara only one song has ever been written about it. That song was The Harp that Once Through Tara’s Hall and that line is the base of my story. The harp is such an intriguing instrument with beautiful sound.
“The whole thing about the song Tara is based on the romance of the setting. It is about the king meeting his bride at the crossroads and bringing her up to celebrate on Tara. Hundreds of people line the road with lights all the way up the hill and loads of people are playing for the celebration.”
Moya said the Irish language has also influenced her style of writing. She explained, “years ago when the Irish weren’t allowed to write about Ireland, they would write very cryptically to disguise what they were writing about. So I am used to writing in that fashion from my many years of singing Gaelic songs.
“For instance in my first track Show Me, I meet a time stranger and you don’t know if he is from the past or the future but then I call him blind and you know that it’s Turlough O’Carolan, one of the most famous blind harpists.
“So, it’s all kind of within that structure. I try to outline each song with an image of where you are with me in the journey. But, I also wanted to leave enough for you to become a part of it with me on the journey.”
Moya is often asked about whether Clannad is still ongoing. She said, “The band still exists, even though we’ve taken time out. There’s still stuff to be done there.” Speaking about her other famous sister, Enya, she said, “Enya, doesn’t tour at all, at all. I think she did one gig in her whole life, she just basically hibernates in the studio and churns them out.
“I mean the only time that she’d get up on the stage is down in my fathers pub...Leo’s Tavern and if a couple of the sisters are there, we might get up and do a round of Andrews Sisters songs, or something weird and wacky. “
With eight siblings – four brothers and four sisters – of which Moya is the eldest, she said, “There are always weddings and christenings in the family, so we all end up singing or doing something at the celebrations. My father still sings at the pub if there’s more than 10 people in it. Some of the grandchildren now also join him. The pub has just recently been revamped and there is fantastic food and music and it’s quite busy.”
Speaking about some of the other Irish artists she has worked with over the years, Moya laughed and said, “well, I worked with Shane McGowan on a video sometime ago, and he wouldn’t be seen for hours and hours and hours and then he’d just sit around.
“ We were working with a well-known producer and he wanted me in the studio every time Shane came in, it wasn’t that he was afraid of him, he just didn’t know how to handle him. Shane is really sweet you know, he’s a bit all over the place sometimes but he’s an incredible song writer. I get on really, really well with him. I have also worked with Paul Brady and have known him for 25 years. He’s really fantastic, just oozing with talent.
“The great thing about being in the music business is having the opportunity to sing with so many great people and because of being a singer from Clannad...I’m respected and that’s something you can’t buy, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Moya Brennan is on tour now with most of the tour on the East Coast. Portland and Seattle are as close as she will get to Vancouver this time but she is hoping to make Vancouver one of her stops on the next tour dates.
Two Horizons was released March 2 and is available at fine record stores everywhere. For more information about Moya Brennan, visit: www.moyabrennan.com.
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