So the next time "Only Time" drifts through your headphones, remember: you aren’t hearing just one woman. You’re hearing the echo of eight other Brennans.
Let’s meet the Brennan clan. Born Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin in 1961, Enya grew up in a tiny village in County Donegal, Ireland. Her father, Leo, was the leader of a showband. Her mother, Máire, was a music teacher. In a house with nine children, silence was the enemy. Music was the currency. enya siblings
Every one of the Brennan children can play. But four of them changed Irish music forever. If you want to understand Enya, you have to start with Ciarán. He founded Clannad in 1970 with three other siblings (and two uncles). Clannad took traditional Irish folk and wove it through jazz, folk-rock, and even a bit of new age—years before Enya made that sound famous. So the next time "Only Time" drifts through
But here’s a secret the postcards don’t tell you: Enya never happened in a vacuum. She is the youngest of nine children. And her siblings? They aren't just supportive brothers and sisters. They are, quite literally, the other half of her DNA—and in some cases, her origin story as an artist. Born Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin in 1961, Enya