page_title: Clannad
section_title: 1982–1988: "Theme from Harry's Game", Magical Ring, and commercial success
hierarchical_section_title: Clannad / History / 1982–1988: "Theme from Harry's Game", Magical Ring, and commercial success
caption_attribution_description: English: Clannad (Irish folk group) on stage at the Leeds Folk Festival, UK, 1982 (photograph by Tony Rees)
context_page_description: Clannad are 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, 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, 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, and Anam.
context_section_description: In 1982, the now five-piece Clannad signed to RCA Records. They then accepted an invitation to record a song for Harry's Game, a three-part television drama depicting The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Ciarán, Pól, and Máire got together and wrote "Theme from Harry's Game". The song became a commercial success upon its release as a single in October 1982, peaking at number 2 in Ireland and number 5 in the UK. It remains the only UK hit single to be sung entirely in Irish. From 1983 to 1987, rock band U2 used the song at the end of every concert. Following their newfound success with "Theme from Harry's Game", Clannad included the song on their seventh studio album, Magical Ring, released in 1983. The single and album marked the start of their international career, and Magical Ring became their first to be certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
  After Magical Ring, Clannad were commissioned to score the 26-episode drama series Robin of Sherwood, aired from 1984 to 1986. They once again began to stretch themselves, creating music for a range of characters and events. For the first time in the career, the album was recorded in its entirety in English. The soundtrack was released in 1984 as Legend and won the band a BAFTA award for Best Original Television Music, the first Irish band to win it. In 2003, Clannad revealed that there were other pieces recorded for the third series of Robin of Sherwood that were not included on Legend, yet the master recordings have yet to be found.
  In 1985, Clannad released Macalla (Irish for Echo) which was recorded in Switzerland, England, and Ireland. It contained all original material except one traditional song and yielded the group a hit single "In a Lifetime", a duet with U2 singer Bono which begins with Máire being heard teaching Gaelic to Bono during the introduction. The album features numerous backing musicians who have continued to tour with them, including ex-King Crimson saxophonist Mel Collins, Moving Hearts' guitarist Anthony Drennan, and drummer Paul Moran. Also on board was producer Steve Nye, who oversaw the pop-flavoured "Closer to Your Heart" and the ballad "Almost Seems (Too Late to Turn)" and became hit singles, the latter serving as the Children in Need charity single in 1985.
caption: Clannad in 1982 at the Leeds Folk Festival
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