Clannad & Moya Brennan News

Moya Brennan has a young, ambition band who are well known internationally, some as multi-instrumentalists, and all, award winners. Here, you can find out more and find links on each of her band members and their solo works:

Present Members

Born and raised in Ranelagh, Dublin, Fionán began playing the guitar ages 15. He began busking on Grafton Street for a few years with traditional band, Délos. His professional career began when he was noticed by and began touring the USA with world-renowned Riverdance in 1999. He plays with Dublin based band Galldubh now and works as a producer and studio musician, having appeared on and produced Ashley Davis’ new album and co-produced and co-written Moya’s ‘Signature’ album among many others. His greatest inspiration and favourite artist is Tony McManus. Fionán is also a member of young, energised supergroup, Fiddlers’ Bid.

Fionán DeBarra links: Official Site : Galldubh @ Tradmusic : Official Fiddlers’ Bid Site

Sinéad Madden was born in Galway, but spent most of her childhood living in Co. Mayo. She started playing the fiddle ages 7. Sinéad went on to study both classical piano and fiddle while playing regularly at sessions in local tithe tábhairní. In 1994, Sinéad moved to Dublin where she was introduced to the local rock music scene and through the great Ewan Cowley, she met Moya in the Summer of 1998. Sinéad has supported the legendary Ben E. King in concert, along with Australian singer-songwriter Peter Baxter. She is working currently with Moya, Tyrella, Darach De Brún and Dublin-based Rinka. Sinéad has also worked with Aoife Ní Fhearraigh and Jim McCann and is about to release her own debut album!

Sinéad Madden links: MySpace : Official Site

Paul comes from Artane, Dublin. He started playing the drums with the renowned Artane Boys Band at the age of 10. After studying under the tutelage of John Wadham he started playing jazz around Dublin, gradually moving into other styles of music. Besides Moya, he’s played with Leslie Dowdall, Finbar Wright, Bagatelle, Aoife Ní Fhearraigh, Elaine K, and Rain. As with Fionán, Paul is also a member of the emerging traditional band, Galldubh.

Paul Byrne links: Galldubh @ Tradmusic

Dubliner Éamonn brings to the band a wealth of traditional experience. His accomplishments as a piper and whistle player have been honed since childhood – from the age of eight, learning the tin whistle with Mick O Brien moving on to the pipes at 11 and then picking up the flute and saxophone in his early adult years. Winning the All Ireland as an Uilleann pipe player, he was assured a place in history and went on to play in band and group competitions with Clontarf Comhaltas, terrorising the European trad scene with his first group, Délos (Fionán was a member). Éamonn also currently plays with his own traditional sextet, Galldubh whose ‘The Seventh Step’ album has been released recently.

Éamonn Galldubh links: Galldubh @ Tradmusic

Cormac (Fionán’s brother), comes from the infamous Cork DeBarra family. His grandmother, Róisín Ní Shé, began to teach him the harp when he was ten years of age and spent many summers studying the concert harp in America. His professional début was a six-month trip to Osaka in Japan, playing in the Irish Exhibition at Expo ’90. Since 1998, he has toured Europe, the UK and Ireland with Hazel O’Connor (who has collaborated with Moya) in her autobiographical show ‘Beyond Breaking Glass’. He has recorded an album with harpist Anne-Marie O’Farrell and various other artists, including one very early recording (which I must dig out!) and has played with The Chieftains, the Irish Harp Orchestra, Cathy Jordan of Dervish and Liam Ó Maonlaí. He has recorded with Brian Kennedy and Galldubh. Cormac presented the traditional music series ‘Flosc’, for TG4 and finished his first album, ‘Barcó’, last year. Cormac is also a beautiful singer!

Cormac DeBarra links: MySpace : Official Site : Galldubh @ Tradmusic