Album: Magical Ring
Release date: March 21, 1983
Origin: Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland
Ciarán Ó Braonáin – bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals
Máire Ní Bhraonáin – vocals, harp
Pól Ó Braonáin – flute, guitar, percussion, vocals
Noel Ó Dúgáin – guitar, vocals
Pádraig Ó Dúgáin – guitar, vocals
“Theme from Harry’s Game” is a 1982 song by Clannad commissioned as the theme for Harry’s Game, a Yorkshire Television miniseries adapted from a 1975 novel set in The Troubles in Northern Ireland. It was released as a single in October 1982 and became a surprise hit, reaching number 5 in the UK Singles Chart the following month and number 2 in the Irish Singles Chart.
The song was written “in a couple of hours”, credited to Pól and Ciarán Brennan. Gerald Seymour, author of Harry’s Game, originally wanted to use “Mhorag ‘s Na Horo Gheallaidh”, a Scottish Gaelic song from Clannad’s album Fuaim, but Clannad felt Irish-language lyrics would be more appropriate. The verse is adapted from a Connacht Irish proverb in a 1948 anthology, glossed by Máire (Moya) Brennan as “Everything that is and was will cease to be.” This was considered appropriate to the miniseries’ depiction of the futility of political violence.
The song is to date the only British hit single ever to have been sung entirely in Irish. The chorus “Fol lol the doh fol the day, Fol the doh fol the day”, is ancient Irish mouth-music, known as Portaireacht, which is common in traditional music.
Over previous albums, Clannad’s sound had moved away from traditional Irish music arrangements, and the production of “Theme from Harry’s Game”, using lush slow layers of synthesiser and vocal harmony, marked the arrival of what would become their signature style for the next decade.
The song won an Ivor Novello award, and launched Clannad’s global career. Its success delayed the release of the band’s 1983 album Magical Ring, which was altered to include it and more material in the same style.
It has since appeared in several Hollywood movies, most notably Patriot Games, in which an IRA member, played by Patrick Bergin, is seen watching the music video for the song on his television.
Clannad’s 1990 album Anam was released in the United States in 1992 to capitalise on the Patriot Games exposure, with “Harry’s Game” inserted in the tracklist; the album sold well and the track was often broadcast on VH1. Its use from late 1992 in a Volkswagen Passat commercial introduced Clannad to a broader American audience and boosted sales of Anam.
The song also features on Clannad’s vocalists’ live albums, the 2005 album Óró – A Live Session and the 2008 Moya Brennan solo album Heart Strings. The original has also been sampled various times by artists such as Kaleef and Elate. Moya Brennan recorded a solo version at Mothership Studio for dance musician Chicane, which he used on his UK top 10 hit “Saltwater.”
Clannad is an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal by siblings Ciarán, Pól, and Moya Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan. They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history, including folk, folk rock, traditional Irish, Celtic and new-age music, often incorporating elements of smooth jazz and Gregorian chant.
Initially known as Clann as Dobhar,[3] they shortened their name to Clannad in 1973 after winning the Letterkenny Folk Festival with the song “Liza”. By 1979, they had released three albums and completed a successful US tour. From 1980 to 1982, they operated as a six-piece with their sister/niece Enya Brennan on additional keyboards and vocals, before she left the group to pursue a solo career. Later in 1982, Clannad gained international attention with their single “Theme from Harry’s Game” which became a top-five hit in Ireland and the UK. The song was featured on Magical Ring (1983), which was met with much acclaim. They experimented with more new-age and pop-influenced sounds in the 1980s and 1990s, as evident on Macalla (1985), and Anam (1990). This transition would ultimately go on to define their sound as almost purely ‘Celtic’, making them innovators of that genre. After Landmarks (1997), the band went on a hiatus in order to pursue solo projects. They regrouped in 2007 as a four piece again, with Moya, Ciarán, Noel, and Pádraig completing a world tour in 2008. In 2013, Pól rejoined and they released Nádúr, their first studio album in fifteen years.[13] Pádraig Duggan died in 2016, leaving the group to embark on their 2020 farewell tour as a quartet.
Clannad have won numerous awards throughout their career, including a Grammy Award, a BAFTA, an Ivor Novello Award, and a Billboard Music Award.[15] They have recorded in six different languages and scored eight UK top 10 albums. They are widely regarded as a band that have brought Irish music and the Irish language to a wider audience, often experiencing more popularity abroad than in their native Ireland.
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