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.
Is It Now
Moya Brennan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm seeing
I'm believing
Run in warm gentle breeze
Games around the willow tree
Watching innocent hearts everywhere
White swans and dragonflies
Rippling waters go by
Is it now that I'm dreaming?
Is it now that I'm believing?
Raindrops and rainbows agree
Chasing streams along the lee
Watching innocent hearts everywhere
Breathless autumn trees
Climbing high just to feel free
Dreaming of love everywhere
I'm dreaming
I'm seeing
I'm believing
Is it now that I'm dreaming
Of a distant kind of day?
Is it now that I'm seeing
The clouds drifting away?
The lyrics to Moya Brennan's song "Is It Now" paint a vivid picture of a dream-like state filled with images of nature and innocence. The opening lines "I'm dreaming, I'm seeing, I'm believing" set the scene for a surreal experience. The singer describes running in a warm, gentle breeze surrounded by games played around a willow tree. She observes innocent hearts everywhere, embodied by the white swans and dragonflies that she sees. The rippling waters and breathless autumn trees are also part of this imagery, infinitely gentle and free.
As the song progresses, the singer asks the question "Is it now that I'm dreaming?" before repeating the phrase "Is it now that I'm believing?" She speaks of raindrops and rainbows that agree and chasing streams along the lee. Throughout the song, the theme of innocent hearts and dreaming of love is prevalent. The final lines of the song imply a sense of hope and possibility for a future day in which the clouds have cleared and true love is possible.
Overall, the lyrics to "Is It Now" paint a picture of a peaceful, dreamlike state full of natural beauty and the possibility of love. The repetition of the questioning phrases throughout the song reinforces the sense of uncertainty and wonder that permeates the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm dreaming
I am fantasizing or imagining.
I'm seeing
I am perceiving or observing.
I'm believing
I am trusting or having faith in something.
Run in warm gentle breeze
Moving about in a soothing gentle current of air.
Games around the willow tree
Engaging in playful activities around the shade of a willow tree.
Watching innocent hearts everywhere
Observing pure and uncorrupted souls in every direction.
White swans and dragonflies
Majestic and graceful waterbirds and delicate insects.
Rippling waters go by
Moving, fluctuating bodies of water flowing passively.
Dreaming of love everywhere
Fantasizing about affection in every place and aspect of life.
Is it now that I'm dreaming?
Am I currently lost in fantasy?
Is it now that I'm believing?
Am I currently trusting or having faith in something?
Raindrops and rainbows agree
Water droplets and colorful natural arc formations harmonize.
Chasing streams along the lee
Pursuing bodies of flowing water along the downwind side of a hill or similar surface.
Breathless autumn trees
Trees in the fall season devoid of leaves or foliage and appearing lifeless.
Climbing high just to feel free
Ascending to great heights for the sake of liberation or release.
Is it now that I'm dreaming
Am I currently lost in fantasy?
Of a distant kind of day?
Of a future or distant time and place?
Is it now that I'm seeing
Am I currently perceiving or observing something?
The clouds drifting away?
Cloud formations moving and departing from a specific location.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MOYA BRENNAN, ROSS CULLUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Thomas Parry
great harp playing like jeff ball too.