The moya brennan funeral will take place in Donegal this week after the Clannad singer-songwriter and harpist died aged 73. Her family said she died peacefully surrounded by loved ones in her native Co Donegal, with tributes now flowing from relatives and fellow musicians. The moya brennan funeral has been announced for Friday, April 17, in St. Patrick’s Church, Meenaweal, Crolly, at 2pm ET, with interment afterwards in Magheragallon Cemetery, Gweedore.
Funeral arrangements and public reposing
Ms Brennan’s remains will repose at her home at Upper Dore, Gweedore, on Wednesday, April 15, and Thursday, April 16, from 1pm to 8pm ET. The house will be private after the prayers and on the morning of the funeral. The family has also said the Funeral Mass can be viewed live on Kieran Roarty Funeral Director’s Facebook page and on the Church webcam MCN Media.
The announcement places the moya brennan funeral at the center of a day of mourning for a singer whose voice helped define Clannad’s sound. Brennan is survived by her husband Tim and her children Aisling and Paul. Her brothers Pól and Ciarán, who were also members of Clannad, said they were heartbroken at the loss of their sister.
Tributes from family and Bono
shared by the family, they said she died peacefully at home in Donegal, surrounded by family, and had now joined Pádraig and Noel “across the veil. ” They added that her voice was the signature sound of Clannad and would live on forever. Bono also paid tribute, writing: “Otherworldly voice. She sang like an angel. She walked through this world like an angel, and now she’s back with her own kind. We love you Moya. ”
The tribute from Bono underlines how widely Brennan’s loss is being felt beyond her home county. The words came as attention turned to the moya brennan funeral and the final farewell now being prepared in the place where she was born and raised.
A life rooted in Donegal
Born Máire Ní Bhraonáin in 1952, she grew up in Gaoth Dobhair, a Gaeltacht area in the northwest of Donegal. She was the eldest of nine siblings and formed Clannad in the 1970s with her brothers Pól and Ciarán, and their uncles Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin.
Clannad began performing at the family pub, Leo’s Tavern, before rising to international renown. The group brought Irish music to a global audience through the success of the theme tune to Harry’s Game, later performing it on Top of the Pops as the first act to sing in Irish on the programme.
What happens next
With the moya brennan funeral now scheduled, the focus shifts to Donegal, where family, friends and fans are expected to gather for the service and burial. The week ahead will mark both a public farewell and a private family goodbye to a singer whose voice, family said, will live on forever.
