It’s truly a bittersweet day today.

It’s never easy when you’re forced to say Goodbye, let alone to someone as iconic as Moya Brennan. Among the most recognisable voices in Folk history (and affectionately nicknamed the First Lady of Celtic Music), she was part of the craze of the Clannad band, a family endeavour which eventually sold tens of millions of copies in albums in the span of around 50 years.

Older sister to iconic Enya (you can tell art truly runs in the blood of their family), Moya also made her way to Electronic music, delivering the vocals to one of, what many people recognise as, the most transcendental tracks ever in the genre, ‘Saltwater’, produced by Chicane in 1999.

Her voice is the key element in other, more recent Dance tracks as well, such as Trance Wax’s ‘Rivers’ (2021) and Raz Nitzan’s ‘Find The Sun’ (2018). Also, she worked with none other than Hans Zimmer, elaborating the score to the 2004 film King Arthur, and trying her hand at other film scores such as Titanic, among others. You can tell that she had an exceptional timbre, one so unique you instantly know when she was in the studio.

Moya passed in her home in Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal, on April 13th, surrounded by her loved ones. She is survived by her husband Tim Jarvis, her daughter Aisling and her son Paul, as well as her brothers Ciarán and Pól, and her sister Enya.

Credit: Steve Humphreys

It’s never easy to bid farewell to someone who’s carved a space so wide and extensive in the beautiful world that is music. But as bittersweet as it may be to say goodbye, the fact that it saddens us means Moya earned a special place in our hearts. She’s certainly a part of those select souls whose legacy truly outlives them, allowing us to press play whenever we want to listen to her gifted voice again.

They say a person doesn’t truly die until it’s forgotten by every last inhabitant of this planet. And in the case of the iconic Moya Brennan, that day is not even remotely close.

If you’re reading this, thank you. You Queen.

We send our condolences to Moya’s family and friends, who we know will make sure her legacy lives on, as well as the countless fans she garnered worldwide, and even the casual listeners who, inadvertently, are humming to ‘Saltwater’ right now, extending the life of an angel on this green Earth.

We leave you Nick’s Mothership Mix to ‘Saltwater’, and we’d highly encourage you to put on a good pair of headphones, close your eyes, and give it the beans. This is possibly the most intimate version out of the infinite mixes available online for the legendary record, ranging from Jody Wisternoff to Claptone, ilan Bluestone, and Kevin de Vries.