172-933: Clannad ( Irish pronunciation: [ˈklˠan̪ˠəd̪ˠ] ) were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore , County Donegal, by siblings Ciarán, Pól and Moya Ui Bhraonáin (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Ó Dúgáin (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginning as an acoustic folk group mainly performing rearranged traditional Irish songs in Irish , they expanded their sound with original songs in English, vocal harmonies, electronic keyboards, and elements of rock, Celtic , new age , smooth jazz , and Gregorian chant . Initially known as Clann as Dobhar ('Family from Dore'), they shortened their name to Clannad in 1973. By 1979 they had released three albums and toured Europe and
344-555: A BAFTA for Best Original Television Music, the first Irish band to win it, in 1985. In 1984, the band embarked on their first major concert tour of the UK, which was followed by a 18-month world tour, including dates across the US and USSR. In 1985, Clannad released their next album, Macalla ( Echo ), which was recorded in Switzerland, England and Ireland. Apart from one traditional song
516-548: A BAFTA , an Ivor Novello Award , and a Billboard Music Award . They have recorded in six different languages and scored eight UK top 10 albums. They were often more popular abroad than in their native Ireland, and are considered to have brought Irish music and the Irish language to a wider audience. Clannad was formed by siblings Ciarán, Pól , and Máire Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan . They grew up in Dore,
688-458: A Hot Press Music Award for their impact on Irish music in the previous year. Around this time, Maire noted that although the group had lost fans of their traditional folk sound, they had gained new ones as a result of their commercial success. A month after Magical Ring was released, the band were commissioned to score the 26-episode television drama series Robin of Sherwood , which was broadcast on ITV from 1984 to 1986. They created music for
860-644: A December 2005 auction. In England, meanwhile, Harrison met sitar maestro Ravi Shankar , who agreed to train him on the instrument. During a tour of the Philippines the month after the Yesterday and Today furore, the Beatles unintentionally snubbed the nation's first lady, Imelda Marcos , who had expected them to attend a breakfast reception at the Presidential Palace . When presented with
1032-405: A backing band and electric instrumentation , and "dressed in the height of Mod fashion". As a result, Gould continues, the traditional division between folk and rock enthusiasts "nearly evaporated", as the Beatles' fans began to mature in their outlook and Dylan's audience embraced the new, youth-driven pop culture. During the 1964 US tour , the group were confronted with racial segregation in
1204-580: A bass guitar with the proceeds, joined in January 1960. He suggested changing the band's name to Beatals , as a tribute to Buddy Holly and the Crickets . They used this name until May, when they became the Silver Beetles , before undertaking a brief tour of Scotland as the backing group for pop singer and fellow Liverpudlian Johnny Gentle . By early July, they had refashioned themselves as
1376-416: A break and pursued solo projects. The band regrouped in 2007 as a four piece with Moya, Ciarán, Noel and Pádraig and completed a world tour in 2008. In 2013, Pól rejoined and they released their first studio album in fifteen years. Pádraig Duggan died in 2016 and the group embarked on their farewell tour in 2020 as a quartet. Clannad have won numerous awards throughout their career, including a Grammy Award ,
1548-639: A bright, joyous, original sound, filled with ringing guitars and irresistible melodies." That "ringing guitar" sound was primarily the product of Harrison's 12-string electric Rickenbacker , a prototype given to him by the manufacturer, which made its debut on the record. Touring internationally in June and July, the Beatles staged 37 shows over 27 days in Denmark, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. In August and September, they returned to
1720-567: A bus route serving the local airport. For many years the Lough Swilly Railway company provided a bus service for the area, which transported people to places such as Letterkenny and other surrounding parishes. Gweedore is also close to Donegal Airport, located at Carrickfin just west of neighbouring Ranafast. Gweedore railway station , opened on 9 March 1903, closed for passenger traffic on 3 June 1940 and finally closed altogether on 6 January 1947. The chief railway engineer
1892-466: A collection of singles. Now we were really beginning to think about albums as a bit of art on their own." Released in December, Rubber Soul was hailed by critics as a major step forward in the maturity and complexity of the band's music. Their thematic reach was beginning to expand as they embraced deeper aspects of romance and philosophy, a development that NEMS executive Peter Brown attributed to
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#17327981263982064-605: A condom in a concrete corridor; the authorities deported them. Lennon returned to Liverpool in early December, while Sutcliffe remained in Hamburg until late February with his German fiancée Astrid Kirchherr , who took the first semi-professional photos of the Beatles. During the next two years, the Beatles were resident for periods in Hamburg, where they used Preludin both recreationally and to maintain their energy through all-night performances. In 1961, during their second Hamburg engagement, Kirchherr cut Sutcliffe's hair in
2236-510: A controversy with Christians in America's conservative Bible Belt region. The Vatican issued a protest, and bans on Beatles records were imposed by Spanish and Dutch stations and South Africa's national broadcasting service . Epstein accused Datebook of having taken Lennon's words out of context. At a press conference, Lennon pointed out, "If I'd said television was more popular than Jesus, I might have got away with it." He claimed that he
2408-496: A copy of the British single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in mid-December 1963 and began playing it on-air. Taped copies of the song soon circulated among other radio stations throughout the US. This caused an increase in demand, leading Capitol to bring forward the release of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by three weeks. Issued on 26 December, with the band's previously scheduled debut there just weeks away, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" sold
2580-541: A departure from their usual acoustic folk sound. Released as a single in October 1982, "Theme from Harry's Game" became the band's commercial breakthrough and caught international attention. It peaked at No.2 in Ireland and No.5 in the UK, and reached the top-20 in the Netherlands and Sweden. It remains the only UK hit single to have been sung entirely in Irish. Clannad's national exposure increased further when they performed
2752-627: A documentary on the band's 20-year history was produced, entitled Clannad in Donegal . In 1991, Clannad released a cover version of " Both Sides Now " by Joni Mitchell on which they duetted with singer Paul Young . The track had been recorded for the Blake Edwards film Switch . In late 1992, the group started working on material for their next album, Banba . Ciarán wrote fifteen songs in his home studio, and he and Maire picked out tracks to develop further and produced demos, then arranged
2924-617: A drawn sword, was the climax of the Land War in Gweedore. 43 people were arrested after the killing. The case was recalled in the 1928 memoirs of Tim Healy , who defended Father McFadden and his parishioners. An Irish American journalist, W.H. Hurlbert, also investigated the landlord-tenant dispute in Gweedore in minute detail in his book Ireland under Coercion , published in 1888. Many books have been published in Irish, and several in English, detailing Gweedore's rich history. One of
3096-415: A faster tempo, a studio session in late November yielded that recording, of which Martin accurately predicted, "You've just made your first No. 1". In December 1962, the Beatles concluded their fifth and final Hamburg residency. By 1963, they had agreed that all four band members would contribute vocals to their albums – including Starr, despite his restricted vocal range, to validate his standing in
3268-466: A full-time member. This album continued the group's experimentation with electronic instruments, and Enya was featured on lead vocals on "An tÚll" and "Buaireadh an Phósta". Neil Buckley played clarinet and saxophone, with Noel Bridgeman on percussion and Pat Farrell on electric guitar. Fuaim was released by Tara Music in 1982. Despite Nicky Ryan's attempt to steer Clannad towards a more layered, electronic, heavily-produced direction, he felt that they had
3440-434: A further progression outside the traditional boundaries of popular music. As the lyrics grew more artful, fans began to study them for deeper meaning. While some of Rubber Soul ' s songs were the product of Lennon and McCartney's collaborative songwriting, the album also included distinct compositions from each, though they continued to share official credit. " In My Life ", of which each later claimed lead authorship,
3612-664: A guest musician on their fifth studio album, Crann Úll ( Apple Tree ), which was recorded in Cologne , Germany and released in 1980 on Tara Music . " Ar a Ghabháil 'n a 'Chuain Domh " featured a particularly full band arrangement which reflected their live jams, while "Lá Cuimhthíoch Fán dTuath" showed early hints of a more atmospheric side to the band's arrangements. By the time Clannad entered Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin to record their next album, Fuaim ( Sound ), Enya had become
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#17327981263983784-459: A major breakdown of mobile phone service, leaving people trapped by the floods unable to contact help. Up to 20 houses were cut off from the outside world after three access bridges were carried away by the swollen rivers. Described as the worst storm "in living memory", it was also the most severe since 1880 when five people drowned in Derrybeg. Owing to the highly localised nature of the storm,
3956-404: A million copies in under four weeks. It became their first single to sell a million copies, and remained the biggest-selling record in the UK until 1978. The success brought increased media exposure, to which the Beatles responded with an irreverent and comical attitude that defied the expectations of pop musicians at the time, inspiring even more interest. The band toured the UK three times in
4128-684: A million copies, becoming a number-one hit in the US by mid-January. In its wake Vee-Jay released Introducing... The Beatles along with Capitol's debut album, Meet the Beatles! , while Swan reactivated production of "She Loves You". On 7 February 1964, the Beatles departed from Heathrow with an estimated 4,000 fans waving and screaming as the aircraft took off. Upon landing at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport , an uproarious crowd estimated at 3,000 greeted them. They gave their first live US television performance two days later on The Ed Sullivan Show , watched by approximately 73 million viewers in over 23 million households, or 34 per cent of
4300-509: A mix of original and traditional Irish songs plus a cover of " I See Red " by Jim Rafferty . The album peaked at No.26 in the UK, and became the group's first album to be certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Two singles were released from the album: "I See Red" went to No.19 in Ireland and No.81 in the UK, and " Newgrange " reached No.30 and No.65, respectively. In April 1983, Clannad were awarded
4472-546: A mixture of English and Irish songs, with Lunny and members of the Bothy Band on additional instruments. It also featured the band's first use of a synthesizer. Their next album, Dúlamán ( Seaweed ), was released in 1976. It was named after the Irish folk song " Dúlamán ", which became a stage favourite. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales and was their first to be produced by Nicky Ryan , who also became
4644-402: A modern Irish classic and it has been covered by the likes of Clannad, Paul Brady , Dáithí Sproule , The Johnstons and most notably by Altan. Other well-known songs to have come from the area are " Trasna na dTonnta " and " Báidín Fheilimí ". The popular Scoil Gheimhridh Frankie Kennedy (" Frankie Kennedy Winter School") took place in Gweedore every New Year until January 2014 in memory of
4816-462: A music competition held during the inaugural Slógadh Youth Festival in Letterkenny . Máire, the eldest member, who had learned the harp and could play "holy songs and Brian Boru ", was elected lead vocalist. They had not intended to enter the competition, but were encouraged to try by the local police sergeant and family members, and they submitted their entry form with ten minutes to spare before
4988-602: A new bachelor's degree in business studies. Gweedore is close to Errigal , the tallest mountain in County Donegal , which overshadows the picturesque Dunlewey Lough . It is surrounded by the deep glens and lakes of the Poisoned Glen , through which the Cronaniv Burn flows, and further on, Glenveagh national park and castle , the largest national park in Ireland. Bád Eddie ("Eddie's Boat"),
5160-471: A new sound that was to define the meaning of New Age and Celtic music . When "Theme from Harry's Game" and "Newgrange" were first heard, radio stations all over the world were fascinated by an unearthly and spiritual sound that they had not heard before. One critic said "the tunes were steeped in the old ways, but the production and the arrangement was fresh and inventive". This transition in Clannad's career
5332-411: A number of well-known musicians. Clannad were formed in 1970, and have since gone on to sell over 15 million records. Lead singer Moya Brennan has also enjoyed a successful solo career, providing musical scores for several Hollywood films. Altan (initially Ceoltóirí Altan ), another highly successful local band, is led by Coshclady fiddler Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh . Gweedore's most successful musician
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5504-633: A population of 4,500 and is divided into three electoral divisions (EDs): The predominant spoken language of the district is Irish, but English can be widely heard as well. All schools, religious services, and advertisements are in Irish. Thousands of second-level and some third-level students from all over Ireland attend summer schools at Coláiste Cholmcille ( Columba 's College), Coláiste Bun an Inbhir , Coláiste Chú Chulainn , Coláiste Mhuire and Coláiste an Phiarsaigh in Gaoth Dobhair every summer to further their knowledge and understanding of
5676-482: A problem". As a result, six covers from their extensive repertoire were chosen to complete the album. Released in early December, its eight original compositions stood out, demonstrating the growing maturity of the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. In early 1965, following a dinner with Lennon, Harrison and their wives, Harrison's dentist, John Riley, secretly added LSD to their coffee. Lennon described
5848-449: A progressive lung disease that required her to rephrase the vocals to some songs. In February 2020, BMG announced the release of In a Lifetime , a greatest hits set to commemorate the band's fiftieth anniversary. Released on April 3 by BMG, the album was available on CD, vinyl, digital platforms, and a deluxe edition that contained over 100 tracks spanning their career. The set included two new tracks, "A Celtic Dream" and "Who Knows Where
6020-522: A range of characters and events related to the legend of Robin Hood and, for the first time, they recorded entirely in English. In May 1984, a soundtrack album from the series was released as Legend and reached No.9 in New Zealand and No.15 in the UK. The theme tune of the series was released as a single entitled " Robin (The Hooded Man) " that went to No.19 in Ireland and No.42 in the UK. Clannad won
6192-592: A remote parish in Gweedore , County Donegal in north-western Ireland, a Gaeltacht region where Irish was the main spoken language. They were raised as a Roman Catholic family of musicians: the Brennans' mother, Máire "Baba" Brennan (née Duggan), the daughter of the local headmaster, was a music teacher and their father, Leo Brennan, who played saxophone and accordion, was a member of the Slieve Foy, an Irish showband that had toured Scotland and Ireland. In 1968,
6364-496: A repertoire of traditional Irish songs, arranged in a contemporary style for a full band. This approach attracted criticism at first because the Irish language was associated with poverty, but as Pól Brennan recalled: "Once they said that [...] we just had to do it even more." They also wrote original material, and covered songs by the Beatles , the Rolling Stones and Joni Mitchell . In 1973, Clannad came in first place in
6536-450: A rich history of theatre and drama productions. The local theatre Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair was constructed in 1961. A local theatre group known as Aisteoirí Ghaoth Dobhair ('actors of Gweedore') was established in 1932. Their first production was called In Aimsir an Mháirtínigh , an original play by Eoghan Mac Giolla Bhríde which was staged in the parish hall in Derrybeg. Their plays and pantomimes, which were all staged in Irish, became
6708-407: A series of articles in which Mann offered detailed analyses of the music, lending it respectability. With the Beatles became the second album in UK chart history to sell a million copies, a figure previously reached only by the 1958 South Pacific soundtrack . When writing the sleeve notes for the album, the band's press officer, Tony Barrow , used the superlative the "fabulous foursome", which
6880-459: A serious economic and social effect on Gweedore and surrounding areas. The factory in the townland of Crolly has been manufacturing porcelain dolls since 1939 under the name Crolly Dolls . In 2003, the estate was renamed Páirc Ghnó Ghaoth Dobhair (Gweedore Business Park) and the Gaeltacht body, Údarás na Gaeltachta , started a campaign to try to entice businesses to Gweedore in hope of reviving
7052-528: A show in Atlanta, the Beatles gave one of the first live performances ever to make use of a foldback system of on-stage monitor speakers. Towards the end of the tour, they met with Elvis Presley , a foundational musical influence on the band, who invited them to his home in Beverly Hills . Presley later said the band was an example of a trend of anti-Americanism and drug abuse. September 1965 saw
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7224-537: A staple of Gaeltacht social life, drawing audiences from as far as Belfast and they performed throughout Ireland and Scotland . Members of the theatre group have gone on to create TV shows including CU Burn ( Seán Mac Fhionnghaile ), and have appeared on Ros na Rún ( Gavin Ó Fearraigh ). Many of Gweedore's musicians were associated with the group. Aisteoirí Ghaoth Dobhair are still active and performed shows at An Grianán Theatre in Letterkenny as part of
7396-437: A succession of drummers, including Pete Best , before inviting Starr to join them in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin guided and developed their recordings, greatly expanding their domestic success after they signed with EMI Records and achieved their first hit, " Love Me Do ", in late 1962. As their popularity grew into the intense fan frenzy dubbed " Beatlemania ",
7568-498: A tendency to revert to their original folk music style; following arguments and a band meeting during a 1982 European tour, the Ryans resigned as group managers. Enya, feeling increasingly restricted in a band setting, departed with them to pursue a solo career (with the Ryans as collaborators). In 1982, the now five-piece Clannad signed to RCA Records and acquired Dave Kavanagh as their new manager. They accepted an invitation to record
7740-563: A three-motion-picture deal, primarily for the commercial potential of the soundtracks in the US. Directed by Richard Lester , A Hard Day's Night involved the band for six weeks in March–April 1964 as they played themselves in a musical comedy. The film premiered in London and New York in July and August, respectively, and was an international success, with some critics drawing a comparison with
7912-534: Is Enya , born as Eithne Ní Bhraonáin; she first appeared on stage in Amharclann Ghaoth Dobhair as a member of Clannad, before going on to become one of the world's biggest-selling artists, with sales exceeding 80 million. Other local singers include Aoife Ní Fhearraigh , Brídín Brennan , Na Casaidigh , Proinsias Ó Maonaigh , Gearóidín Bhreathnach , Seamus McGee and Maria McCool . The 1970s group Skara Brae also had strong links with
8084-503: Is Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair , established in Lunniagh in 1977. As with the local primary schools, all students are educated through the medium of Irish and most sit their public examinations in Irish. In 2004, NUI Galway expanded to Gweedore when it opened Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge , providing third-level education through the medium of the Irish language to over 80 students every year. Several diplomas are available as well as
8256-514: Is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district and parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. Gweedore stretches some 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Glasserchoo and Bloody Foreland in the north to Crolly in the south and around 14 kilometres (9 mi) from Dunlewey in the east to Magheraclogher and Magheralosk in the west, and is sometimes described as one of Europe's most densely populated rural areas. It
8428-824: Is a list of notable people from the area: The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison , and Ringo Starr . They are widely regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form. Rooted in skiffle , beat , and 1950s rock 'n' roll , their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways. The band also explored music styles ranging from folk and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock . As pioneers in recording , songwriting, and artistic presentation,
8600-428: Is considered a highlight of the entire Lennon–McCartney catalogue. Harrison called Rubber Soul his "favourite album", and Starr referred to it as "the departure record". McCartney has said, "We'd had our cute period, and now it was time to expand." However, recording engineer Norman Smith later stated that the studio sessions revealed signs of growing conflict within the group – "the clash between John and Paul
8772-418: Is known for being a cradle of Irish culture , with old Irish customs, traditional music, theatre, Gaelic games and the Irish language playing a central and pivotal role in the lives of the local people. This, along with its scenery and many beaches, has made the area a popular tourist destination, especially with visitors from Northern Ireland . Gweedore and the neighbouring districts of Cloughaneely and
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#17327981263988944-825: Is located in Machaire Gathlán and provides facilities for all GAA sports. The Gaoth Dobhair senior team is the most successful club in the Donegal Senior Football Championship and Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta . It won the 2018 Ulster Senior Club Football Championship . Players such as Kevin Cassidy and the McGee brothers— Eamon and Neil —are known nationally for their exploits with the senior Donegal county football team . Newcomers, such as Odhrán Mac Niallais , Kieran Gillespie, Michael Carroll and Cian Mulligan have secured places in
9116-401: Is often seen as the birth of Celtic music , and they are regarded as pioneers of the genre. They are also noted for their melodious harmonies , which have been at the heart of their music since their first album. Legend (1984) was based on English folklore , and with later albums Clannad delved further into the realms of electronica and pop . Many of their singles entered pop charts around
9288-515: Is the boundary between Gweedore to the north and The Rosses to the south. Dobhar is an old Irish word for water. Therefore, Gaoth Dobhair translates as "the aqueous estuary". The name Gweedore or Gaoth Dobhair refers to the traditional district and Catholic parish of the same name, not to any specific village. The settlements of Brinlack, Bunbeg, Derrybeg, Dunlewey and Crolly, and other populated area such as Meenaleck, Dore and Magheraclogher, are collectively known as Gweedore . Gweedore has
9460-555: Is the largest Irish-speaking parish in Ireland with a population of around 4,065, and is also the home of the northwest regional studios of the Irish-language radio service RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta , as well as an external campus of the University of Galway . Gweedore includes the settlements of Brinlack, Bunbeg, Derrybeg, Crolly and Dunlewey, and sits in the shade of County Donegal 's highest peak, Errigal . Gweedore
9632-533: The 3Arena in Dublin on 18 February 2023. The tour concluded in Seattle, Washington on October 9, 2023, after which Clannad planned to disband, with individual members pursuing solo projects. However, the band later played their final concert in Royal Albert Hall on October 30th in 2024. The first half comprised a 40th anniversary reprise of Legend and other Robin of Sherwood material, with many of
9804-538: The BBC , also joined the airport reception, the first of more than 100 such events. The next day, the band began its fourth tour of Britain within nine months, this one scheduled for six weeks. In mid-November, as Beatlemania intensified, police resorted to using high-pressure water hoses to control the crowd before a concert in Plymouth. On 4 November, they played in front of The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret during
9976-877: The Cara na Mara ("Friend of the Sea"), is the wreck of a ship which ran ashore on Magheraclogher Strand due to rough seas. The Crolly River (Irish: Abhainn Chroithlí ), also known as the Gweedore River, and the Clady River (Irish: An Chláidigh ) are two of the main rivers flowing through Gweedore. The Gweedore coastline consists of long sandy beaches and rugged cliffs with small islands, including Gola Island and Tory Island . Coaches that operate from Gweedore include Collins Coaches Donegal to Glasgow, Feda Ó Dónaill, Coyle's Coaches, John McGinley, Patrick Gallagher Coaches, Crónán Mac Pháidín private hire coaches, and
10148-542: The Earagail Arts Festival in 2010 and 2011. Gaoth Dobhair is home to two art galleries which house work by some of the area's best-known painters. An Clachán claims to be the largest art gallery in Donegal, whilst An Gailearaí at Áislann Ghaoth Dobhair has staged exhibitions based on the work of the world-renowned Derek Hill . The Roman Catholic parish of Gweedore has four churches: Teach Pobal Mhuire (St Mary's) in Derrybeg (built in 1972, after
10320-424: The Irish language . This is a Gaeltacht , an area where the Irish language is the first language , providing an unbroken link with millennia of Irish history and culture. Since most of the inhabitants of the area are bilingual, it is common to hear English vocabulary used within an Irish sentence and vice versa. A rich subset of unique vocabulary and phrases has arisen from this bilingualism and owing to this,
10492-585: The Kaiserkeller in October. When he learned they had been performing at the rival Top Ten Club in breach of their contract, he gave them one month's termination notice, and reported the underage Harrison, who had obtained permission to stay in Hamburg by lying to the German authorities about his age. The authorities arranged for Harrison's deportation in late November. One week later, Koschmider had McCartney and Best arrested for arson after they set fire to
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#173279812639810664-585: The Marx Brothers . United Artists released a full soundtrack album for the North American market, combining Beatles songs and Martin's orchestral score; elsewhere, the group's third studio LP, A Hard Day's Night , contained songs from the film on side one and other new recordings on side two. According to Erlewine, the album saw them "truly coming into their own as a band. All of the disparate influences on their first two albums coalesced into
10836-548: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility, 1988, and each principal member was individually inducted between 1994 and 2015. In 2004 and 2011, the group topped Rolling Stone ' s lists of the greatest artists in history . Time magazine named them among the 20th century's 100 most important people . In November 1956, sixteen-year-old John Lennon formed a skiffle group with several friends from Quarry Bank High School in Liverpool . They were called
11008-682: The Royal Variety Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre . Please Please Me maintained the top position on the Record Retailer chart for 30 weeks, only to be displaced by its follow-up, With the Beatles , which EMI released on 22 November to record advance orders of 270,000 copies. The LP topped a half-million albums sold in one week. Recorded between July and October, With the Beatles made better use of studio production techniques than its predecessor. It held
11180-578: The Tidewater area of Virginia from Gene Loving of radio station WGH and was featured on the "Rate-a-Record" segment of American Bandstand , but it failed to catch on nationally. Epstein brought a demo copy of " I Want to Hold Your Hand " to Capitol's Brown Meggs , who signed the band and arranged for a $ 40,000 US marketing campaign. American chart success began after disc jockey Carroll James of AM radio station WWDC , in Washington, DC, obtained
11352-403: The album era , as albums became the dominant form of record use over singles . These records also increased public interest in psychedelic drugs and Eastern spirituality, and furthered advancements in electronic music , album art , and music videos . In 1968, they founded Apple Corps , a multi-armed multimedia corporation that continues to oversee projects related to the band's legacy. After
11524-457: The " exi " (existentialist) style, later adopted by the other Beatles. Later on, Sutcliffe decided to leave the band early that year and resume his art studies in Germany. McCartney took over bass. Producer Bert Kaempfert contracted what was now a four-piece group until June 1962, and he used them as Tony Sheridan 's backing band on a series of recordings for Polydor Records . As part of
11696-640: The American population. Biographer Jonathan Gould writes that, according to the Nielsen rating service, it was "the largest audience that had ever been recorded for an American television program ". The next morning, the Beatles awoke to a largely negative critical consensus in the US, but a day later at their first US concert, Beatlemania erupted at the Washington Coliseum . Back in New York
11868-638: The Animals , Petula Clark , the Kinks , and the Rolling Stones to achieve success in America. During the week of 4 April 1964, the Beatles held twelve positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, including the top five. Capitol Records' lack of interest throughout 1963 did not go unnoticed, and a competitor, United Artists Records , encouraged its film division to offer the Beatles
12040-514: The BBC wildlife documentary series Natural World about the Atlantic Ocean , which were broadcast in January 1989. A soundtrack album of the score was released as Atlantic Realm and went to No.41 in the UK. In addition, Clannad released a second compilation album, Pastpresent , which focused on their output 1982-on, with two new tracks: " The Hunter " and "World of Difference". The album
12212-709: The Beatles faced a fierce backlash from US religious and social conservatives (as well as the Ku Klux Klan ) over a comment Lennon had made in a March interview with British reporter Maureen Cleave . "Christianity will go", Lennon had said. "It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right ... Jesus was alright but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me." His comments went virtually unnoticed in England, but when US teenage fan magazine Datebook printed them five months later, it sparked
12384-476: The Beatles recorded ten songs during a single studio session for their debut LP, Please Please Me . It was supplemented by the four tracks already released on their first two singles. Martin considered recording the LP live at The Cavern Club, but after deciding that the building's acoustics were inadequate, he elected to simulate a "live" album with minimal production in "a single marathon session at Abbey Road". After
12556-481: The Beatles replaced him in mid-August with Ringo Starr , who left Rory Storm and the Hurricanes to join them. A 4 September session at EMI yielded a recording of " Love Me Do " featuring Starr on drums, but a dissatisfied Martin hired drummer Andy White for the band's third session a week later, which produced recordings of "Love Me Do", " Please Please Me ", and " P.S. I Love You ". Martin initially selected
12728-631: The Beatles revolutionized many aspects of the music industry and were often publicized as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements. Led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney , the Beatles evolved from Lennon's previous group, the Quarrymen , and built their reputation by playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg , Germany, over three years from 1960, initially with Stuart Sutcliffe playing bass . The core trio of Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison, together since 1958, went through
12900-470: The Brennan and Duggan fathers bought and restored a dilapidated old tavern in nearby Meenaleck and ran it as a music bar called Leo's Tavern. Their children performed there together and developed their own act, with Ciaran and Pol Brennan on bass, vocals and bongos, Padraig and Noel Duggan on guitars, and elder Brennan sister Moya on harp and vocals. The five young musicians made their live debut in 1970 at
13072-407: The Letterkenny folk festival and were offered a deal with Philips Records , which they negotiated themselves. Having secured a label, the group prepared material for a debut album. They recorded at Eamonn Andrews Studios in Dublin, choosing Irish and English songs and a cover of " Morning Dew " by Bonnie Dobson . Released in 1973, Clannad was met with initial resistance from the label because of
13244-514: The Moondogs, were playing rock and roll whenever they could find a drummer. They also performed as the Rainbows . Paul McCartney later told New Musical Express that they called themselves that "because we all had different coloured shirts and we couldn't afford any others!". Lennon's art school friend Stuart Sutcliffe , who had just sold one of his paintings and was persuaded to purchase
13416-564: The Ostan Gweedore Hotel in March 2012. Aiden McGeady 's paternal grandparents also hail from Gweedore and he spent many of his summer holidays in the parish. Cumann na gCurach , based at Machaire Gathlán, is a voluntary group that organises currach races and takes part in numerous races all over the country. Gweedore is famed for its traditional Irish music scene, which is prevalent in local taverns. Gweedore has produced
13588-404: The Quarrymen , a reference to their school song "Quarry men old before our birth". Fifteen-year-old Paul McCartney met Lennon on 6 July 1957, and joined as a rhythm guitarist shortly after. In February 1958, McCartney invited his friend George Harrison , then aged fifteen, to watch the band. Harrison auditioned for Lennon, impressing him with his playing, but Lennon initially thought Harrison
13760-517: The Rosses are collectively known locally as "the three parishes"; they form a social and cultural region distinct from the rest of the county, with Gweedore serving as the main centre for socialising and industry. Gweedore is the anglicisation of the original and official Irish name Gaoth Dobhair . Gaoth refers to an inlet of the sea at the mouth of the Crolly River, known as An Ghaoth . It
13932-567: The Silver Beatles , and by the middle of August simply the Beatles . Allan Williams , the Beatles' unofficial manager, arranged a residency for them in Hamburg . They auditioned and hired drummer Pete Best in mid-August 1960. The band, now a five-piece, departed Liverpool for Hamburg four days later, contracted to club owner Bruno Koschmider for what would be a 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -month residency. Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn writes: "They pulled into Hamburg at dusk on 17 August,
14104-537: The Slieve Foy, and Duggan was an amateur musician who taught music at Gweedore Community School and led the local choir, Cór Mhuire Doire Beaga. The family lived in Dore, a parish in Gweedore , County Donegal. In 1968, the pair bought Leo's Tavern in Meenaleck for £1,500. Won Nominations Gweedore Gweedore ( / ɡ w iː ˈ d ɔːr / gwee- DOR ; officially known by its Irish language name, Gaoth Dobhair [ˌɡiː ˈd̪ˠoːɾʲ] )
14276-598: The Starr version of "Love Me Do" for the band's first single, though subsequent re-pressings featured the White version, with Starr on tambourine. Released in early October, "Love Me Do" peaked at number seventeen on the Record Retailer chart. Their television debut came later that month with a live performance on the regional news programme People and Places . After Martin suggested rerecording "Please Please Me" at
14448-578: The Time Goes", their first recordings since Padraig Duggan's passing. The album coincided with the In a Lifetime Tour, their final tour as a group, which was to take place in the UK and North America between March and October 2020. The tour was postponed after several shows because of the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in 2021. Noel Duggan died on 15 October 2022, aged 73. The band performed a farewell concert at
14620-411: The US, with a 30-concert tour of 23 cities. Generating intense interest once again, the month-long tour attracted between 10,000 and 20,000 people to each 30-minute performance in cities from San Francisco to New York. In August, journalist Al Aronowitz arranged for the Beatles to meet Bob Dylan . Visiting the band in their New York hotel suite, Dylan introduced them to cannabis . Gould points out
14792-426: The US. A similar situation arose during their May–June tour with Roy Orbison . In late October, the Beatles began a five-day tour of Sweden, their first time abroad since the final Hamburg engagement of December 1962. On their return to the UK on 31 October, several hundred screaming fans greeted them in heavy rain at Heathrow Airport . Around 50 to 100 journalists and photographers, as well as representatives from
14964-408: The US. From 1980 to 1982 they operated as a six-piece with their sister and niece Eithne ( Enya ). In 1982 they gained international attention with their single " Theme from Harry's Game ". They experimented with New Age and pop-influenced sounds in the 1980s and 1990s and their music came to be defined as almost purely Celtic , making them innovators of that genre. In 1997, after 15 albums, they took
15136-584: The United Kingdom to reach number one. The band's third single, " From Me to You ", came out in April and began an almost unbroken string of seventeen British number-one singles, including all but one of the eighteen they released over the next six years. Issued in August, their fourth single, " She Loves You ", achieved the fastest sales of any record in the UK up to that time, selling three-quarters of
15308-665: The actors in attendence. The second other of their catalogue. "There's a feeling in all our music, an ambience that stems directly from where we were brought up and to have to define our sound, I always say that if they were to visit Gweedore they wouldn't need to ask." – Ciarán Brennan When Clannad first started out in the early 1970s, their music and sound stemmed solely from their traditional Irish background. They popularised such old songs as " Dúlamán ", "Teidhir Abhaile Riú" and "Coinleach Glas An Fhómhair", and these songs remained favourites at their concerts. After departing from their folk and traditional background in 1982, they created
15480-415: The airport with news of Sutcliffe's death the previous day from a brain haemorrhage . Epstein began negotiations with record labels for a recording contract. To secure a UK record contract, Epstein negotiated an early end to the band's contract with Polydor, in exchange for more recordings backing Tony Sheridan. After a New Year's Day audition, Decca Records rejected the band , saying, "Guitar groups are on
15652-465: The album Introducing... The Beatles , comprising most of the songs of Parlophone's Please Please Me , but a management shake-up led to the album not being released. After it emerged that the label did not report royalties on their sales, the licence that Vee-Jay had signed with EMI was voided. A new licence was granted to the Swan label for the single "She Loves You". The record received some airplay in
15824-575: The album Landmarks . In the song "Of This Land", Máire sang about Ireland's past and future. The track "Fadó" ("Long Ago") demonstrated the influences of Celtic history on the band's music. In 1999 Landmarks won the group a Grammy award for Best New Age Album . Also in 1999, the group wrote "What Will I Do" for the Kevin Costner romantic drama film Message in a Bottle . Between 1999 and 2007, Clannad were largely inactive while individual members pursued solo projects. In 2003, BMG/RCA released
15996-419: The album contained all original material, and yielded a hit single, " In a Lifetime ", a duet with U2 singer Bono , which began with Máire teaching Irish to Bono during the introduction. The album featured numerous backing musicians, who continued to work with the band on tour, including ex- King Crimson saxophonist Mel Collins , Moving Hearts ' guitarist Anthony Drennan , and drummer Paul Moran. Also on board
16168-526: The album peaked at No.14 in the UK. Its US release followed in 1992 and included "In a Lifetime" and "Theme from Harry's Game", which had appeared in the film Patriot Games (1992) and a Volkswagen television advert, boosting the group's recognition. The interest generated by the Volkswagen advert saw Anam reach No.46 on the US Billboard 200, the group's highest position on the chart. In 1996,
16340-488: The album reached gold certification in the US after selling 500,000 copies. The track won a Billboard Music Award for World Music Song of the Year. "Rí na Cruinne" was included on One World One Voice , a charity album intended to raise awareness of environmental issues. In 1990, the group's sister/niece Bridin Brennan joined the group for live performances, supplying additional instruments and backing vocals. Around this time
16512-446: The album still sounds fresh, precisely because of its intense origins." Lennon said little thought went into composition at the time; he and McCartney were "just writing songs à la Everly Brothers , à la Buddy Holly, pop songs with no more thought of them than that – to create a sound. And the words were almost irrelevant." Released in March 1963, Please Please Me was the first of eleven consecutive Beatles albums released in
16684-400: The album, recorded between August and October 1964, to continue the format established by A Hard Day's Night which, unlike their first two LPs, contained only original songs. They had nearly exhausted their backlog of songs on the previous album, however, and given the challenges constant international touring posed to their songwriting efforts, Lennon admitted, "Material's becoming a hell of
16856-511: The areas of maximum rainfall missed the network of rain gauges but Met Éireann estimated that between 2 pm and 6 pm, up to 600 millimetres (24 in) of rain fell at the core. In the 1980s and 1990s, Gweedore had a thriving factory industry, where up to 20 large companies were established producing rubber, carpets, body toning equipment and cleaning agents. However, by 2001 most of these companies had closed due to competition from Eastern Europe. Up to 4,000 jobs were lost, and this had
17028-792: The band acquired the nickname "the Fab Four". Epstein, Martin or other members of the band's entourage were sometimes informally referred to as a " fifth Beatle ". By early 1964, the Beatles were international stars and had achieved unprecedented levels of critical and commercial success. They became a leading force in Britain's cultural resurgence, ushering in the British Invasion of the United States pop market. They soon made their film debut with A Hard Day's Night (1964). A growing desire to refine their studio efforts, coupled with
17200-447: The band members' "now habitual use of marijuana". Lennon referred to Rubber Soul as "the pot album" and Starr said: "Grass was really influential in a lot of our changes, especially with the writers. And because they were writing different material, we were playing differently." After Help! ' s foray into classical music with flutes and strings, Harrison's introduction of a sitar on " Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) " marked
17372-409: The band over the next couple of months, and they appointed him as their manager in January 1962. Throughout early and mid-1962, Epstein sought to free the Beatles from their contractual obligations to Bert Kaempfert Productions. He eventually negotiated a one-month early release in exchange for one last recording session in Hamburg. On their return to Germany in April, a distraught Kirchherr met them at
17544-587: The band tried to leave BMG and sign a worldwide deal with Atlantic Records, their US distributor. Released in March 1996, the album, which featured American drummer Vinnie Colaiuta , reached No.14 in the UK and debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Top World Albums chart, displacing Gipsy Kings after their 24-week run at the top. "Croí Cróga" ("Brave Heart") was originally written for the Mel Gibson film Braveheart (1995), but did not make
17716-569: The best parts into complete songs. Released in May 1993, the album went to No.5 in the UK and No.110 in the US. It featured "I Will Find You", written for the film The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and had Máire singing in English, Mohican , and Cherokee . Maire said director Michael Mann had liked their Irish songs, but they were unsure of writing a song about early American history in Irish and opted instead to use native languages. An English version
17888-468: The burgeoning youth culture. The group's popularity generated unprecedented interest in British music, and many other UK acts subsequently made their American debuts, successfully touring over the next three years in what was termed the British Invasion . The Beatles' success in the US opened the door for a successive string of British beat groups and pop acts such as the Dave Clark Five ,
18060-508: The challenging nature of their concert tours, led to the band's retirement from live performances in 1966. During this time, they produced albums of greater sophistication, including Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967). They enjoyed further commercial success with The Beatles (also known as "the White Album", 1968) and Abbey Road (1969). The success of these records heralded
18232-452: The commercialised popular culture of television, radio, pop records, fan magazines, and teen fashion. To many of Dylan's followers in the folk music scene, the Beatles were seen as idolaters, not idealists." Within six months of the meeting, according to Gould, "Lennon would be making records on which he openly imitated Dylan's nasal drone, brittle strum, and introspective vocal persona"; and six months after that, Dylan began performing with
18404-599: The country at the time. When informed that the venue for their 11 September concert, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida , was segregated, the Beatles said they would refuse to perform unless the audience was integrated. Lennon stated: "We never play to segregated audiences and we aren't going to start now ... I'd sooner lose our appearance money." City officials relented and agreed to allow an integrated show. The group also cancelled their reservations at
18576-405: The customary group photograph, its Aubrey Beardsley -inspired cover – designed by Klaus Voormann , a friend of the band since their Hamburg days – was a monochrome collage and line drawing caricature of the group. The album was preceded by the single " Paperback Writer ", backed by " Rain ". Short promotional films were made for both songs; described by cultural historian Saul Austerlitz as "among
18748-457: The district. There are two active choirs in the area. Cór Mhuire Doirí Beaga, led by Baba Brennan and Eileen Nic Suibhne and Cór Thaobh 'a Leithid, led by Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde. Both have recorded successful albums. The song " Gleanntáin Ghlas' Ghaoth Dobhair " was written by local musician Francie Mooney , expressing an exile's final farewell to the green valleys of Gweedore. It has become
18920-626: The eponymous Belfast musician, who was married to its founder, Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh , until he died of cancer in 1994. It has been replaced by the Scoil Gheimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair ("Gweedore Winter School"). Several attempts have been made recently to revive festivals in the summer months, including Féile Earthcore , Loinneog Lúnasa and Féile Ceoil Ghaoth Dobhair . The annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade which goes from Bunbeg crossroads to Derrybeg attracts thousands of participants and spectators each year. Gweedore has
19092-413: The experience: "It was just terrifying, but it was fantastic. I was pretty stunned for a month or two." He and Harrison subsequently became regular users of the drug, joined by Starr on at least one occasion. Harrison's use of psychedelic drugs encouraged his path to meditation and Hinduism. He commented: "For me, it was like a flash. The first time I had acid , it just opened up something in my head that
19264-546: The final cut. "Farewell Love" was used in the soundtrack of the Irish drama film A Further Gesture (1997). Clannad's tour to promote the album included their first sell-out shows in Japan. In 1996, Clannad received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Recorded Music Association . In April 1996, the group split with their manager, Dave Kavanagh, after 14 years. Clannad returned in 1997 with
19436-517: The first Beatle to discuss LSD publicly, declaring in a magazine interview that "it opened my eyes" and "made me a better, more honest, more tolerant member of society". Controversy erupted in June 1965 when Queen Elizabeth II appointed all four Beatles Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) after Prime Minister Harold Wilson nominated them for the award. In protest – the honour
19608-564: The first half of the year: a four-week tour that began in February, the Beatles' first nationwide, preceded three-week tours in March and May–June. As their popularity spread, a frenzied adulation of the group took hold. On 13 October, the Beatles starred on Sunday Night at the London Palladium , the UK's top variety show. Their performance was televised live and watched by 15 million viewers. One national paper's headlines in
19780-402: The following day, the Beatles met with another strong reception during two shows at Carnegie Hall . The band flew to Florida, where they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show a second time, again before 70 million viewers, before returning to the UK on 22 February. The Beatles' first visit to the US took place when the nation was still mourning the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
19952-412: The following days coined the term " Beatlemania " to describe the riotous enthusiasm by screaming fans who greeted the band – and it stuck. Although not billed as tour leaders, the Beatles overshadowed American acts Tommy Roe and Chris Montez during the February engagements and assumed top billing "by audience demand", something no British act had previously accomplished while touring with artists from
20124-508: The following year as Clannad in Concert . Also in 1979, Clannad undertook a 36-date tour of North America, the most extensive by an Irish band at that time. In 1980, Clannad became a six-piece band when Nicky Ryan invited a younger Brennan sister, Enya Brennan , to join as an additional singer and keyboard player in order to expand the group's sound via extra vocals and electronic instruments. Enya's first recordings with Clannad were made as
20296-660: The greatest hits album The Best of Clannad: In a Lifetime , which peaked at No.23 in the UK. In the following year, the Duggan twins recorded together for the first time outside of Clannad and released an album, Rubicon , under the name The Duggans . Clannad reunited for a one-off performance in 2006 during Moya Brennan's solo concert in De Doelen , the Netherlands, which was dedicated to their parents, Leo and Máire Brennan. The whole of Clannad, including former member Pól Brennan and sister Deirdre, performed five songs together in
20468-429: The grinning Beatles dressed in butcher's overalls, accompanied by raw meat and mutilated plastic baby dolls. According to Beatles biographer Bill Harry , it has been incorrectly suggested that this was meant as a satirical response to the way Capitol had "butchered" the US versions of the band's albums. Thousands of copies of the LP had a new cover pasted over the original; an unpeeled "first-state" copy fetched $ 10,500 at
20640-436: The group as a full-time member for the first time since 1990. He said later that the most exciting thing about his return was writing songs with his brother Ciarán again. In January 2011, two additional concerts were scheduled at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin after high demand for tickets. The group appeared on RTÉ 's The Late Late Show on 21 January, performing " Theme from Harry's Game " with vocal ensemble Anúna . It
20812-404: The group's break-up in 1970, all principal former members enjoyed success as solo artists, and some partial reunions occurred. Lennon was murdered in 1980, and Harrison died of lung cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active. The Beatles are the best-selling music act of all time , with estimated sales of 600 million units worldwide. They are the most successful act in
20984-486: The group's manager alongside his wife Roma Ryan . Clannad capitalised on their growing popularity in Europe by including liner notes in German and French and undertaking a tour of Europe. At one show, the standing ovation the band received after an extended rendition of "Níl Sé Ina Lá (Níl Sé'n Lá)" from Clannad convinced them to continue as full-time musicians. Recordings from a tour of Switzerland in 1978 were released in
21156-524: The group. Lennon and McCartney had established a songwriting partnership , and as the band's success grew, their dominant collaboration limited Harrison's opportunities as a lead vocalist . Epstein, to maximise the Beatles' commercial potential, encouraged them to adopt a professional approach to performing. Lennon recalled him saying, "Look, if you really want to get in these bigger places, you're going to have to change – stop eating on stage, stop swearing, stop smoking ...". On 11 February 1963,
21328-678: The history of the US Billboard charts , holding the record for most number-one albums on the UK Albums Chart (15), most number-one hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart (20), and most singles sold in the UK (21.9 million). The band received many accolades , including seven Grammy Awards , four Brit Awards , an Academy Award (for Best Original Song Score for the 1970 documentary film Let It Be ), and fifteen Ivor Novello Awards . They were inducted into
21500-614: The invitation, Epstein politely declined on the band members' behalf, as it had never been his policy to accept such official invitations. They soon found that the Marcos regime was unaccustomed to taking no for an answer. The resulting riots endangered the group and they escaped the country with difficulty. Immediately afterwards, the band members visited India for the first time. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first – rock 'n' roll or Christianity. – John Lennon, 1966 Almost as soon as they returned home,
21672-401: The last covers the band would include on an album until Let It Be 's brief rendition of the traditional Liverpool folk song " Maggie Mae ". The band expanded their use of vocal overdubs on Help! and incorporated classical instruments into some arrangements, including a string quartet on the pop ballad " Yesterday ". Composed and sung by McCartney – none of the other Beatles perform on
21844-519: The launch of an American Saturday-morning cartoon series, The Beatles , that echoed A Hard Day's Night 's slapstick antics over its two-year original run. The series was the first weekly television series to feature animated versions of real, living people. In mid-October, the Beatles entered the recording studio; for the first time when making an album, they had an extended period without other major commitments. Until this time, according to George Martin, "we had been making albums rather like
22016-525: The local economy. A Scottish company opened a call centre on the estate, but this subsequently closed. Other businesses include a number of supermarkets, convenience stores, beauticians and hairdressers, garages, pharmacists, pubs, cafes and three well-established hotels: Derrybeg Hotel, Teach Jack and An Chúirt (Gweedore) Hotel. All five primary schools in the area are Irish-speaking schools. Children are not taught English until senior infants level (5–6 years old). The only community school (post-primary)
22188-408: The media widely adopted as "the Fab Four". EMI's American subsidiary, Capitol Records , hindered the Beatles' releases in the United States for more than a year by initially declining to issue their music, including their first three singles. Concurrent negotiations with the independent US label Vee-Jay led to the release of some, but not all, of the songs in 1963. Vee-Jay finished preparation for
22360-409: The moderate success of "Love Me Do", the single "Please Please Me" was released in January 1963, two months ahead of the album. It reached number one on every UK chart except Record Retailer , where it peaked at number two. Recalling how the Beatles "rushed to deliver a debut album, bashing out Please Please Me in a day", AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "Decades after its release,
22532-496: The monotony of numerous appearances at the same clubs night after night. In November 1961, during one of the group's frequent performances at the Cavern Club , they encountered Brian Epstein , a local record-store owner and music columnist. He later recalled: "I immediately liked what I heard. They were fresh, and they were honest, and they had what I thought was a sort of presence ... [a] star quality." Epstein courted
22704-426: The most prolific of local historians was Cáit Nic Giolla Bhríde. On the afternoon of 23 June 2009, a severe thunderstorm struck Gweedore. It was centred on the adjoining villages of Bunbeg and Derrybeg, and lasted for several hours, causing two rivers to burst their banks, flooding houses, shops and factories, ripping up roads and destroying bridges. Lightning which lasted for two hours damaged power lines and caused
22876-436: The music of many artists, including Enya, Altan , Capercaillie , The Corrs , Loreena McKennitt , Anúna , Riverdance , Órla Fallon and U2. Bono said Moya had "one of the greatest voices the human ear has ever experienced". A Japanese visual novel released in 2004, which spawned a 2007 film and a 2007–08 television series based on it, was named after the band because screenwriter Jun Maeda mistakenly believed it to mean
23048-628: The music, which was performed by the band. A soundtrack with the same name was released in 1989. Also in 1989, Clannad won four Clio Awards for their music used in a US advertisement produced by An Bord Fáilte . In 1989, Pól Brennan left Clannad to work with Peter Gabriel as a producer for the WOMAD arts festival and as an acoustic specialist. The band continued as a four-piece and wrote, arranged and recorded their next album, Anam ( Soul ), in under three months, with Ciarán Brennan becoming their producer and primary songwriter. Released in October 1990,
23220-445: The musical and cultural significance of this meeting, before which the musicians' respective fanbases were "perceived as inhabiting two separate subcultural worlds": Dylan's audience of "college kids with artistic or intellectual leanings, a dawning political and social idealism, and a mildly bohemian style " contrasted with their fans, "veritable ' teenyboppers ' – kids in high school or grade school whose lives were totally wrapped up in
23392-464: The parish has attracted some curious interest from both lexicographers and etymologists in the past. For example, the Irish suffix -ailte or -eáilte is used to form a Gaelicised version of English verbs, as in wreckailte "tired". The Plantation of Ulster in 1609 added a twist to the fate of the parish. Irish-speaking families who were driven from their fertile lands in the Lagan Valley and
23564-593: The parish led by James McFadden ( Irish : Séamus Mac Pháidín ), the parish priest in 1875–1901, challenged the landlords with the founding of the Land League and the Plan of Campaign . The killing by locals of Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) District Inspector William Limbrick Martin outside the local church ( Teach Phobail Mhuire ) in Derrybeg on Sunday 3 February 1889, while reportedly rushing Father McFadden with
23736-556: The post was to be collected. They won the Slógadh competition prize of £500, a trophy and a recording contract with Polydor Records , although the band members were too young to sign it. With help from a grandfather they had named themselves Clann as Dobhar, Irish for Family from Dore, and they used this name until 1973, when they shortened the name to Clannad. They established themselves as an acoustic folk group, collecting material from old singers and story-tellers in Donegal and building
23908-692: The previous 'old chapel' had flooded on many occasions), Teach Pobail an Chroí Naofa (Sacred Heart) in Dunlewey (built in 1877), Teach Pobail Naomh Pádraig (St Patrick's) in Meenaweel (built in 1938) and Séipéal Cholmcille (St Columba's) in Bloody Foreland (built in 1933). The only Protestant church in Gweedore is St Patrick's Church of Ireland , in Bunbeg. The regional studios of the Irish language radio station RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta are in
24080-418: The previous November. Commentators often suggest that for many, particularly the young, the Beatles' performances reignited the sense of excitement and possibility that momentarily faded in the wake of the assassination, and helped pave the way for the revolutionary social changes to come later in the decade. Their hairstyle, unusually long for the era and mocked by many adults, became an emblem of rebellion to
24252-428: The production had relied too heavily on a computer. Sirius featured " Something to Believe In ", a duet with Bruce Hornsby on vocals and keyboards, and guest appearances by Steve Perry and JD Souther . In February 1988, the band began a world tour which included dates across Europe, Australia and the US, to commemorate their fifteenth anniversary. In between their 1988 tour dates, the group scored three episodes of
24424-562: The recording – "Yesterday" has inspired the most cover versions of any song ever written. With Help! , the Beatles became the first rock group to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year . The group's third US tour opened with a performance before a world-record crowd of 55,600 at New York's Shea Stadium on 15 August – "perhaps the most famous of all Beatles' concerts", in Lewisohn's description. A further nine successful concerts followed in other American cities. At
24596-647: The second half of the concert. Leo and Máire, who were present, did not know that this was planned. The performance was greeted with standing ovations from the audience. In January 2007, the five original members of Clannad performed at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow . In the following month, the group received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Meteor Ireland Music Awards in Dublin. In March 2008, Clannad began their first UK tour in over 12 years. In May 2008, Clannad's version of
24768-438: The senior county football team in recent years. Hurling was never a popular sport in Gweedore, with the exception of a briefly successful minor team in the late 1990s. Gailf Chumann Ghaoth Dobhair , the local golf club , is also situated in Machaire Gathlán. The 14-hole course hugs the picturesque north-west coast and holds several high-profile tournaments throughout the year, most notably, 'The Clannad Classic', sponsored by
24940-555: The sessions, the Beatles were signed to Polydor for one year. Credited to "Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers", the single " My Bonnie ", recorded in June 1961 and released four months later, reached number 32 on the Musikmarkt chart. After the Beatles completed their second Hamburg residency, they enjoyed increasing popularity in Liverpool with the growing Merseybeat movement. However, they were growing tired of
25112-409: The shore in clusters, pockets of houses built close together and in each other's shade. Up until the early 19th century the parish was only lightly populated and it seems the people had an amicable relationship with the landowners. The standard of life was to deteriorate with the arrival of new landlords in the 19th century, in particular Lord George Hill (1801–1879) and his son Arthur. The people of
25284-516: The song on Top of the Pops . From 1983 to 1987, Irish rock band U2 used the song at the end their concerts. "Two minutes of haunting vocal magic—the sort of thing Clannad have been doing for years—and all of a sudden everybody wants to know who they are." — Belfast Telegraph , November 1982 Following this success, the group released their seventh studio album, Magical Ring , in March 1983. In addition to "Theme from Harry's Game", it featured
25456-469: The soundtrack of the film Titanic , where composer James Horner imitated Clannad's musical style and the soundtrack sounded so much like Clannad that it has been mistakenly attributed to them. The band's 'Celtic mysticism' is a recurring theme in the film Intermission . Lead singer Moya Brennan said that Clannad's " otherworldly " and "ethereal" sound came from the ancient hills and glens that surrounded Gweedore. Traces of Clannad's legacy can be heard in
25628-405: The surrounding areas made their way to the poor boglands of west Donegal. Some of them made it as far as Gweedore and could go no further west. Around the same time, English and Scottish colonists began to arrive when this uncharted territory was converted to baronies. It appears the parish was very sparsely populated up until the 17th century. The first people to arrive lived on the islands or by
25800-484: The time when the red-light area comes to life ... flashing neon lights screamed out the various entertainment on offer, while scantily clad women sat unabashed in shop windows waiting for business opportunities." Koschmider had converted a couple of strip clubs in the district into music venues, and he initially placed the Beatles at the Indra Club . After closing Indra due to noise complaints, he moved them to
25972-494: The title music for Harry's Game , a three-part television drama depicting The Troubles in Northern Ireland, based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Seymour . Seymour suggested that the band record music for the show. Ciarán, Pól, and Máire wrote " Theme from Harry's Game " in a few hours. It was recorded in two days and became an atmospheric piece featuring a Prophet-5 synthesizer and over 100 tracked vocals,
26144-529: The top spot for 21 weeks with a chart life of 40 weeks. Erlewine described the LP as "a sequel of the highest order – one that betters the original". In a reversal of then standard practice, EMI released the album ahead of the impending single " I Want to Hold Your Hand ", with the song excluded to maximise the single's sales. The album caught the attention of music critic William Mann of The Times , who suggested that Lennon and McCartney were "the outstanding English composers of 1963". The newspaper published
26316-593: The townland of Derrybeg. Two radio shows are broadcast from Gweedore each day, as well as regional news every hour. Because Gweedore is in the Gaeltacht and partly due to the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003 , only the original Irish versions of placenames have any legal status, and these are used on road signage. However Anglicised versions were created for most placenames and are still in common if informal use in English. The following
26488-593: The traditional song " Down by the Salley Gardens " was featured in the listening paper for Music GCSE from the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations exam board. Also in 2008, two compilation albums were released: Celtic Themes: The Very Best of Clannad and Beginnings: The Best of the Early Years . In 2009, Clannad were nominated for an IMA Award for Best Revival Act. In 2011, Pól Brennan returned to
26660-458: The use of Irish, and the group soon found themselves more popular outside Ireland, particularly in Germany. Later in 1973, Clannad competed for Ireland in the heat stages of the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "An Pháirc". In 1974, the band followed their debut album with Clannad 2 , released by Gael Linn Records and produced by Dónal Lunny , the founder of Planxty and The Bothy Band . Like their first album, Clannad 2 featured
26832-433: The way out, Mr. Epstein". However, three months later, producer George Martin signed the Beatles to EMI 's Parlophone label. Martin's first recording session with the Beatles took place at EMI Recording Studios (later Abbey Road Studios) in London on 6 June 1962. He immediately complained to Epstein about Best's drumming and suggested they use a session drummer in his place. Already contemplating Best's dismissal,
27004-460: The whites-only Hotel George Washington in Jacksonville. For their subsequent US tours in 1965 and 1966, the Beatles included clauses in contracts stipulating that shows be integrated. According to Gould, the Beatles' fourth studio LP, Beatles for Sale , evidenced a growing conflict between the commercial pressures of their global success and their creative ambitions. They had intended
27176-425: The word "family" in Irish. The Brennans are Ireland's most successful music family; in 2005, the combined record sales of Clannad and Enya exceeded 70 million. Leo Brennan (born Leopold Henry Brennan-Hardin) and Máire "Baba" Duggan are the parents of the Brennan siblings Máire (Moya), Ciarán, Pól , Deirdre, Leon, Eithne (Enya), Olive, Bartley, and Brídín . Brennan was a musician who played in an Irish showband ,
27348-439: The world and widened their fan base. Despite their success with this genre of music, the group maintained a link with their Gaelic roots, giving traditional Irish songs such as "Tráthnóna Beag Aréir" and "Buachaill Ón Éirne" the Clannad treatment. While the rock -infused Sirius and the pop-inclined Macalla were successful, the style that the band created themselves has left the greatest legacy. Its influence can be found in
27520-403: The world-renowned local folk band . Soccer clubs active in the area include Gweedore Celtic, Gweedore United , Glenea United and Dunlewey Celtic. All teams take part in both county and national competitions. Scottish soccer player Paddy Crerand 's mother hailed from Gweedore. Still a regular visitor to the area, Crerand broadcast an episode of his MUTV show The Paddy Crerand Show live from
27692-515: Was Taggart Aston, from Belfast. He was responsible for the design and construction of many of the bridges on the Letterkenny to Burtonport Extension narrow-gauge railway (L&BER), a company jointly owned by the State and the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway (L&LSR). Sports played locally include Gaelic football , golf and soccer. The local Gaelic games club, CLG Ghaoth Dobhair ,
27864-490: Was a commercial success, peaking at No.5 in the UK, where it was certified Platinum for over 300,000 copies sold. It was promoted with a sell-out UK tour and the release of a double A-side single, " Hourglass " with "Theme from Harry's Game", although "Hourglass" was not on the compilation. Clannad provided music for The Angel and the Soldier Boy , an animated film narrated by actor Tom Conti . Ciarán and Pól Brennan wrote
28036-415: Was also recorded. Banba was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album and, like its predecessor, it achieved Gold certification in the US after selling 500,000 copies. The album was supported by Clannad's 20th anniversary UK tour, which ended in July 1993 with a concert at Lincoln Castle . By early 1996, Clannad had recorded and finished the next album, Lore , but its release was delayed after
28208-439: Was at that time primarily bestowed upon military veterans and civic leaders – some conservative MBE recipients returned their insignia. In July, the Beatles' second film, Help! , was released, again directed by Lester. Described as "mainly a relentless spoof of Bond ", it inspired a mixed response among both reviewers and the band. McCartney said: " Help! was great but it wasn't our film – we were sort of guest stars. It
28380-514: Was becoming obvious", he wrote, and "as far as Paul was concerned, George could do no right". Capitol Records, from December 1963 when it began issuing Beatles recordings for the US market, exercised complete control over format, compiling distinct US albums from the band's recordings and issuing songs of their choosing as singles. In June 1966, the Capitol LP Yesterday and Today caused an uproar with its cover, which portrayed
28552-512: Was fun, but basically, as an idea for a film, it was a bit wrong." The soundtrack was dominated by Lennon, who wrote and sang lead on most of its songs, including the two singles: " Help! " and " Ticket to Ride ". The Help! album, the group's fifth studio LP, mirrored A Hard Day's Night by featuring soundtrack songs on side one and additional songs from the same sessions on side two. The LP contained all original material save for two covers, " Act Naturally " and " Dizzy Miss Lizzy "; they were
28724-485: Was given a contemporary pop-influenced sound and production, creating the impression that it was recorded in the US, although it was recorded in the UK and mixed in Los Angeles. Máire Brennan recalled that the band had been at an experimental stage at the time and said Ladanyi and Kunkel had not listened to their previous records. Ciaran thought the music had been "sandpapered down to be a radio-friendly album", and that
28896-457: Was inside of me, and I realised a lot of things. I didn't learn them because I already knew them, but that happened to be the key that opened the door to reveal them. From the moment I had that, I wanted to have it all the time – these thoughts about the yogis and the Himalayas, and Ravi 's music." McCartney was initially reluctant to try it, but eventually did so in late 1966. He became
29068-580: Was producer Steve Nye , who oversaw the pop-flavoured " Closer to Your Heart " and the ballad " Almost Seems (Too Late to Turn) " which became hit singles. "Almost Seems" served as the Children in Need charity single in 1985. In 1986 the band put out their first compilation album, The Collection . In October 1987, Clannad worked with American producers Greg Ladanyi and Russ Kunkel , drummer of James Taylor 's band, on their next album, Sirius . The album
29240-526: Was referring to how other people viewed their success, but at the prompting of reporters, he concluded: "If you want me to apologise, if that will make you happy, then okay, I'm sorry." Released in August 1966, a week before the Beatles' final tour, Revolver marked another artistic step forward for the group. The album featured sophisticated songwriting, studio experimentation, and a greatly expanded repertoire of musical styles, ranging from innovative classical string arrangements to psychedelia . Abandoning
29412-470: Was their first appearance on the show in 14 years. In September 2013, Clannad released Nádúr , their first studio album since 1998. It was the band's final album before the death of Padraig Duggan in 2016. They began an international tour in October 2013 which started in Australia and New Zealand and continued through 2014. In 2016, Moya Brennan announced she had been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis ,
29584-504: Was too young. After a month's persistence, during a second meeting (arranged by McCartney), Harrison performed the lead guitar part of the instrumental song " Raunchy " on the upper deck of a Liverpool bus, and they enlisted him as lead guitarist . By January 1959, Lennon's Quarry Bank friends had left the group, and he began his studies at the Liverpool College of Art . The three guitarists, billing themselves as Johnny and
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