Bono no longer has the voice for Clannad
Mar 7 2008 by Sally Williams, Western Mail - As Irish group Clannad prepare to return to the spotlight, Sally Williams speaks to guitarist and vocalist Noel Duggan about their unique sound and their certain friend by the name of Bono. IT is more than 20 years since Ireland’s spiritual group Clannad teamed up with their countryman Bono for the spine-tingling hit In A Lifetime. But, as the band prepare to visit Wales as part of their first UK tour for a decade, don’t hold your breath for the U2 frontman to appear on stage with them. Guitarist and vocalist Noel Duggan admits that Bono never performed the hit live and when Clannad sang it on Top Of The Pops they did it without him. Duggan says, “He (Bono) says he doesn’t have the voice for it anymore. So we will have Bryan Kennedy (who has sung with Van Morrison) singing it in Belfast and there will be other guests on tour too. “But we see Bono a lot, we are bound to bump into him in Dublin because it is such a small place.” Duggan says that while his close friend is world famous, he can enjoy life without getting mobbed in his native city of Dublin. “When the public see him in Dublin it really is no big deal. They don’t like to treat people as heroes,” he says. “It’s a case of ‘Hey, Bono is up there at the bar. Ah, so what’. He is free to walk down the road without being mobbed.” In one bar in Donegal, Bono even ended up serving pints of Guinness to customers. “There was Bono pulling pints for locals, he is really down-to-earth,” says Duggan, whose mother and father were schoolteachers but had instruments all over the house. Clannad is made up of Duggan together with his niece, lead singer Moya Brennan, his twin brother Padraig and Ciaran Brennan. It is 25 years since their timeless piece Theme From Harry’s Game became a chart hit across Europe and 10 years have passed since their last studio album release, the Grammy Award-winning Landmarks. “It’s been a long time but I still crave the stage,” says Duggan, now in his 60th year and living near Dublin. “I’ve been in a group called Norland Wind, with my brother Padraig, in Germany. A lot of old groups are coming back together now. And together again as Clannad we’ve already played Glasgow and Dublin so somebody out there still likes us.” Duggan’s other niece, the solo performer Enya, spent two years working with Clannad. “She was a very shy little girl. We don’t see much of Enya at all now. “She lives in a castle at Killiney, she lives like a queen. She doesn’t go anywhere; she is a recluse.” Clannad’s trademark mystical trance sound has featured on a number of blockbuster movie soundtracks, including Patriot Games, starring Harrison Ford, Message In A Bottle and Last Of The Mohicans. Clannad have come a long way since winning a talent contest in Letterkenny in 1970. They have since sold more than 10 million records and have also been honoured with an Ivor Novello and a Bafta award. But Noel said most fans will remember the band for the song, Theme From Harry’s Game, which was featured in the television series, Robin of Sherwood, starring Michael Praed. He adds, “Harry’s Game took the group in a different musical direction and the record company asked us to go ‘poppy’. “But we did and still do hold on to our mystical Celtic roots. “We like to sing in our native Gaelic and hope that our listeners who don’t speak it still like the sound. “I think it is important to explain what the songs are about though. “We are really looking forward to playing St David’s Hall, we expect that the Welsh audience will be great. The hall has good acoustics for our pipers, fiddle players and harmonies. “When we last played Cardiff, there was no Millennium Stadium or Wales Millennium Centre so we are expecting a lot of changes.” Duggan hopes to revisit Wales in future on holiday when he will have a chance to have a proper look around. He adds, “I’ve never been on a tour around Wales, although I would really like to some day. “I get inspiration to write the songs when the feeling takes me, which is usually when I’m walking the dog (a border collie cross spaniel dog called Woofie) in Dublin Bay first thing in the morning.” Duggan and his partner Barbara have written a history of Clannad called A Moment In Life which will be published shortly. The 2008 11-date UK tour will end at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool on March 14. The concerts provide a rare chance for audiences to see them performing material from across their entire ground-breaking career, dating back to the ‘70s. Clannad are at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, tonight. Tickets are available from the box office on 029 2087 8444
icwales

Bono makes a call in to 2FM's The Colm and Jim-Jim Breakfast Show during the morning drive on Tuesday -- the announcers were commenting on recent news reports that Bono was not able to hit the high notes on the Clannad song "In a Lifetime," and Bono responds with his defense and receives an invite to sing at the wedding. You can hear the call here: rte


Bono joins Colm and Jim-Jim on air Bono was a surprise caller to RTÉ 2fm's 'The Colm and Jim-Jim Breakfast Show' this morning. Listen to show here. During the show presenters Colm and Jim-Jim had joked that Bono was not able to hit the notes any more, following a discussion with Clannad singer Moya Brennan about whether the U2 frontman could perform 'In a Lifetime' with the band. Bono then rang the duo live on air and said that he had lost none of his vocal abilities and that their show was the programme of choice in his car on the school run. The singer was then asked whether he would sing at Jim-Jim's wedding, and he hinted that he might. Bono also sang two of Colm and Jim-Jim's jingles live on air. Afterwards, Jim-Jim said: "Sharon and I hadn't even thought of a wedding band for our big day but if Bono and the lads are free then I'm up for it!" rte