Brennan grew up as the eldest in a very musical family in a remote parish in the northwest of Ireland, a place where the Irish language and tradition was and still is very much alive. She sang along with her siblings in the family pub, Leo's Tavern. She also took part in many pantomimes in Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair, the local theatre, usually dancing and singing.
It was during 1970 that she joined her two brothers Pól and Ciarán and their mother's two twin brothers Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin and eventually formed Clannad. After enjoying a decade of being the world's foremost traditional Irish act, they graduated to chart success in 1982 with the album Magical Ring. Moya Brennan was at the forefront of the group's success and her voice suddenly became synonymous with celtic music and Irish music at the time. She has recorded 17 albums with Clannad and has won a Grammy, a BAFTA and an Ivor Novello award with the quintet.
Moya Brennan released her first solo album in 1992, Máire, on Atlantic Records. Misty Eyed Adventures on BGM followed three years later. In 1998, Brennan signed with Word Records and released Perfect Time, and Whisper To The Wild Water a year later. The album was nominated in the Grammy Awards of 2001 for Best New Age Album. 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 several of her songs centering on maintaining a relationship with Jesus Christ. Some of her songs show influences from her Catholic upbringing or seem relational due to her own views concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In total Brennan has recorded 25 albums, and has sold over 20 million records. 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.
Brennan, along with Clannad, are considered as the inventors of contemporary celtic music and are held in high esteem for their vast contribution to modernizing old Irish songs. It is Brennan's haunting voice that has left the most lasting legacy, it has become synonymic with Clannad's work and with Irish music in general. Her ethereal vocalization is considered the archetypal sound of Ireland and strains of her style have been acquired in the soundtracks to Titanic and Riverdance. Brennan is also famous for her harp playing, she has featured it on many Clannad records and her album Two Horizons is based on the discovery of the harp.
Moya is also a member of Irish traditional group, T with the Ms.
Eirigh Suas a Stoirin
Moya Brennan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Foscail a’ doras agus lig mise ‘un ti
Ta buidéal im aice bhéarfas deoch
do mhnaoi an ti
A’s ta suil ‘gam nach ndiultuigheann
Tu mé fa do nion
Nuair a éirighim amach ar maidin
Is dearcaim ar a’bhaile ud a bhfuil
agam le ghabhail ann
Tuiteann na deóra na sróite liom sios
agus gniomh se mile osna a
ta cosuil le cumhaidh
I ngleanntain na coilleadh uaigni
is lag brónach a bim
ó Dhomnach go Domhnach ‘s
mé ag cathamh mo shaol
‘mé feitheamh gach trathnóna ce
shiuluil ‘n ród no cé thiocfadh ‘n ti
‘S gan duine ar an domhan mhór a thiocfadh
‘s thógfadh mo chroi
A mhaili a chéadsearc na
tréig thusa mé go brach
Nach bhfuil mé do dhiaidh gachaon la
Fa mhalaidh na n-ard
is tu cruithneach ar mhna Éireann
is tu an péarla ‘ta doiligh ‘fhail
is dar mhoinna mo bhéil ni bréag é
go bhfuil mé leatsa i ngra
The song "Éirigh Suas A Stóirin" by Moya Brennan speaks of a man who is urging his lover to come to him, as he awaits her presence eagerly. He asks her to rise up and come to him if she is not asleep yet, and to open the door so he can enter. He tells her that there is a bottle next to him, which he will offer to the woman of the house. He then expresses his hope that she will not refuse him, as he is faithful to her and loves her deeply.
The song then goes on to describe the man's feelings of sadness and loneliness when he is not with his lover. He talks about shedding tears and sighing heavily, comparing his grief to the weight of a stone. He describes his feelings of sadness and loss when he thinks about his lover and longs for her presence. The song ends with the man declaring his undying love for his beloved and proclaiming that he will always be faithful to her.
Overall, the song is a poignant expression of the longing and heartache that can come with separation from a loved one, as well as a testament to the power of love and commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
Éirigh suas a Stóirin mura bfhuil tu do shui
Rise up, my dear, unless you are asleep. Open the door and let me in.
Foscail a’ doras agus lig mise ‘un ti
Open the door and let me in.
Ta buidéal im aice bhéarfas deoch do mhnaoi an ti
I have a bottle with me that I will bring as a gift to the woman of the house.
A’s ta suil ‘gam nach ndiultuigheann Tu mé fa do nion
I hope that you won't turn me away, as I come to you for your daughter.
Nuair a éirighim amach ar maidin agus dearcaim uaim siar
When I wake up in the morning and look back at you.
Is dearcaim ar a’bhaile ud a bhfuil agam le ghabhail ann
I see that home that I have to take.
Tuiteann na deóra na sróite liom sios agus gniomh se mile osna a ta cosuil le cumhaidh
My tears flow down like a stream, and my sighs are like a storm that resembles reluctance.
I ngleanntain na coilleadh uaigni is lag brónach a bim
In the loneliness of the woods, I am weak and sad.
ó Dhomnach go Domhnach ‘s mé ag cathamh mo shaol
From Sunday to Sunday, I'm fighting for my life.
‘mé feitheamh gach trathnóna ce shiuluil ‘n ród no cé thiocfadh ‘n ti
I wait every evening, walking the road, or who might come to the house.
‘S gan duine ar an domhan mhór a thiocfadh ‘s thógfadh mo chroi
Without someone in this whole world coming, to lift up my heart.
A mhaili a chéadsearc na tréig thusa mé go brach
Oh my love, my first one, don't ever leave me.
Nach bhfuil mé do dhiaidh gachaon la Fa mhalaidh na n-ard
Am I not behind you every day? Despite the heights.
is tu cruithneach ar mhna Éireann is tu an péarla ‘ta doiligh ‘fhail is dar mhoinna mo bhéil ni bréag é go bhfuil mé leatsa i ngra
You are the wheat of Ireland, you are the rare pearl, indeed, the truth about me is that I'm in love with you.
Contributed by James T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.