She is the elder sister of the singer Enya, who was also briefly a member of Clannad in the early 1980s.
Her music is usually classified as New Age or Celtic. She accepts the Celtic label, but has at times indicated a slight discomfort with being seen as "New Age" as much of her music is strongly Christian, with some of her songs showing additional influences from her Catholic upbringing.
Since 2002, she has promoted herself as Moya Brennan -- a spelling closely resembling the phonetic pronunciation of her name for those not familiar with the Irish variant of the spelling.
According to her official website, her early influences included the likes of Joni Mitchell and the Beach Boys, before she discovered "the extraordinary wealth of Celtic history and melody on her doorstep".
Moya is also a member of Irish vocal supergroup T with the Maggies.
Eirigh Suas A Stoirin
Máire Brennan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Foscail a' doras agus lig mise 'un ri
Ta boide/al im aice bhe/arfas deoch
do mhnaoi an si
A's ta/ su/il 'gard nach ndiu/lcoigheann
Tu/ me/ fa do sion
Nuair a e/irighin amach ar maidin
Is dearcaim ar a'bhaile ud a bhfuil
agam le ghabhail ann
Tuiteann na deo/ra na scoi/te liom sios
agus gni/mh se mi/le osna a
ta/ cosu/il le cumhaidh
I ngleanntain na coilleadh uaigni
is lag bro/nach a bbi/m
o/ Dhomnach go Domhnach 's
me/ ag cathamh mo shaol
'me/ feitheamh gach trathno/na ce
shiu/lu/il 'n ro/d no ce/ thiocladh 'n ti/
'S gan duine ar an domhan mho/r a thiocladh 's
tho/gfadh mo chroi/
A mha/ili/ a che/adsearc na
tre/ig thusa me/ go bra/ch
Nach bhfuil me/ do dhiaidh gach aon la/
Fa mhalaidh na n-ard
is tu/ cruithneach ar mhna/ E/irann
is tu/ an pe/arla 'ta/ doiligh 'fha/il
is dar mhionna mo bhe/il ni/ bre/ag e/
go bhuil me/ leatsa is ngra
The lyrics to Máire Brennan’s song ‘Eirigh Suas A Stoirin’ talk about a woman who is being asked to wake up and see the beauty around her. The first verse starts by telling the woman to wake up and open the door so that she can see the beautiful morning. The woman is also offered a drink by the singer, most likely to help her wake up and start her day. The singer then talks about how the woman’s eyes sparkle and do not dim in the singer's absence.
In the second verse, the singer talks about waking up in the morning and looking back at their hometown. The singer reminisces about the memories they have of the place and talks about how the leaves fall around them. The singer notes the sadness they feel and how alone they are in the forest. The singer then talks about how they wait every evening, hoping that someone will come and take their heart away.
Overall, the song talks about the beauty that surrounds us and the sadness that comes with feeling alone. The singer wants to remind the woman about the beauty of life and the love that exists around her.
Line by Line Meaning
Eirigh suas a Sto/ri/n mora bfhuil so/ do shul
Rise up, my great love, for your eyes are needed.
Foscail a' doras agus lig mise 'un ri
Open the door and let me in.
Ta boide/al im aice bhe/arfas deoch
There is a bottle nearby the woman.
do mhnaoi an si
For the woman there.
A's ta/ su/il 'gard nach ndiu/lcoigheann
And there is a high eye lying nearby.
Tu/ me/ fa do sion
You belong to your love.
Nuair a e/irighin amach ar maidin
When I rise in the morning.
agus dearcaim uaim siar
And I look back.
Is dearcaim ar a'bhaile ud a bhfuil
And I see that home that I have.
agam le ghabhail ann
To take refuge there.
Tuiteann na deo/ra na scoi/te liom sios
The dew drops fall down upon me.
agus gni/mh se mi/le osna a
And it creates a thousand sighs in me.
ta/ cosu/il le cumhaidh
It is like a memory.
I ngleanntain na coilleadh uaigni
In the solitude of the wooded glen.
is lag bro/nach a bbi/m
Where I am weak and sad.
o/Dhomnach go Domhnach 's
From Sunday to Sunday.
me/ ag cathamh mo shaol
I am fighting my life.
me/ feitheamh gach trathno/na ce
I am waiting every evening.
shiu/lu/il 'n ro/d no ce/ thiocladh 'n ti/
Walking the road until I reach the house.
S gan duine ar an domhan mho/r a thiocladh 's
Without anyone in the world coming.
tho/gfadh mo chroi/
My heart would lift.
A mha/ili/ a che/adsearc na
Oh, my first love.
tre/ig thusa me/ go bra/ch
Leave me forever.
Nach bhfuil me/ do dhiaidh gach aon la/
Am I not after you every day.
Fa mhalaidh na n-ard
Under the lofty hills.
is tu/ cruithneach ar mhna/ E/irann
And you are the wheat of Ireland's women.
is tu/ an pe/arla 'ta/ doiligh 'fha/il
And you are the pearl that is hard to find.
is dar mhionna mo bhe/il ni/ bre/ag e/
And in my mind, it is not a lie.
go bhuil me/ leatsa is ngra
That I am with you and I love.
Contributed by Victoria Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MeredithWaters
"Éirigh Suas A Stóirín" ("Rise Up, My Darling") tells the story of a young man who goes to bargain with the parents of a girl he loves for her hand, as was the custom in the poorer parts of Ireland. He is refused, and the remainder of the song tells of his sorrow at this loss.' I find it heartbreakingly sad...and the Gaelic lilt reminds me just a little of the voices of my Scandinavian elders of long ago...
@guillermoemir
Suena hermoso... ¿Qué dirá? (¿alguien lo podría traducir al español?
@Gawaine687
I personally much prefer the way Clannad did it in their early career, but this rendition is good too.
@Sportymike
utterly beautiful.
@teresaanthony9987
How about a English Version Please