Clannad - Past and Present

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1 General Information
2 Cover
3 Information
4 Screenshots
5 Technical Specs
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[edit] General Information

Arts Documentary hosted by Maire Brennan, published by BMG in 1989 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

One group whose music has become synonymous with the ethereal sounds of "Celtic" music is the Donegal band Clannad. Their music has been used in movies, television shows, and commercials, heard in diverse venues, from "The Last of the Mohicans" to Volkswagen.

Clannad have given a unique voice to modern Irish music. They have combined a deep love of traditional strains with a bold approach to writing and recording. Their legacy is a hugely impressive collection of albums, touching on folk, rock, ambient, jazz and world music. Many of these records have featured lyrics in their native Gaelic tongue, while others have been performed in English. Either way, those vocals have plugged directly into the popular imagination.

An clann as Dobhar was the original name of the band, which translates "a family from Dore". They grew up in the parish of Gweedore, Donegal, in the secluded north-west. Maire, Pol and Ciaran Brennan sang and played from an early age in their father's bar, Leo's Tavern. The Brennan children's father was a professional musician in his own right, before settling down to run a tavern. Their mother was a music teacher and choir mistress. It would be hard to imagine a family environment more musically alive than this. Maire, Pol and Ciaran were soon accompanied by their uncles, Padraig and Noel Duggan. In 1970, Clannad won first prize in the prestigious Letterkenny Folk Festival, which included the opportunity to record an album. The group went on to record six traditional albums, developing their voices and creating the Clannad sound in the process. In 1976 the band went from part-time to a full time professional band. In 1980, the siblings sister Eithne joined the line-up, singing and playing keyboards for the next two years. She later started her own successful solo career as Enya.

Clannad's big break came in 1982, when they were asked to compose the theme for Harry's Game, a three-part television thriller about Northern Ireland. This music was also used in the film Patriot Games with Harrison Ford and was then used as background music for a Volkswagen commercial. In 1983 Clannad released Magical Ring which became their first gold record. This was furthered on 'Legend' a soundtrack commissioned for the television series, 'Robin Of Sherwood' in 1984. During this period, the band received numerous awards including an Ivor Novello and a BAFTA for their ground-breaking work on this album.

Clannad continues to enjoy success and has made almost twenty albums to date. In recent years, Clannad has not toured or recorded on a regualr basis. The last studio album was Landmarks, released in 1997.

Personnel:

Pat Duggan (vocals, guitar, mandolin) Paul Brennan (vocals, guitar, flute, percussion) Ciaran Brennan (vocals, guitar, keyboards) Noel Duggan (vocals, guitar) Maire Brennan (vocals, harp)

Traclist :

1. Almost Seems (Too Late To Turn) – opening sequence 2. Harry's Game 3. An Mhaighdean Mhara 4. Closer To Your Heart 5. Something To Believe In 6. Teir Abhaile 7. Robin (The Hooded Man) 8. Newgrange 9. Hourglass 10. Buachaill On Eirne 11. The Hunter 12. In A Lifetime 13. Almost Seems (Too Late To Turn) – closing sequence

Producer : Ned O’Hanlon Executive Producer : Russ Russell Director : Billy Magra

A Windmill Lane Production in association with BMG Video (1989)

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[edit] Technical Specs

Video Codec: XviD ISO MPEG-4
Video Bitrate: 2432 kbps
Video Resolution: 704x552
Video Aspect Ratio: 1.275:1
Frames Per Second: 25.000
Audio Codec: 0x2000 (Dolby AC3) AC3
Audio Bitrate: 256kb/s CBR 48000 Hz
Audio Streams: 2
Audio Languages: english
RunTime Per Part: 41:23.560
Number Of Parts: 1
Part Size: 798 MB
Encoded by: DocFreak08