Noel Duggan: founding member of Clannad dies aged 73

Noel Duggan, a founding member of the Irish folk group Clannad, has died aged 73. The band shared the news on its Twitter account, adding that Duggan had died “suddenly in Donegal” on 15 October.

“Noel will be for ever remembered for his outstanding guitar solos, his love of music and his dedication to the band,” they said.

Duggan formed Clannad in 1970 alongside his brother Pádraig and nieces and nephews Ciarán, Pól and Moya Brennan. Pádraig died in 2016.

In 1973, they competed for Ireland in the heat stages of the Eurovision song contest, but were beaten by Colman Pearce.

Between 1980 and 1982, the Brennans’ younger sister, Enya, was also a member of the group, having been invited to join to help the band expand their sound. Following her departure she became the biggest-selling Irish solo artist of all time.

The band broke through internationally when they recorded the theme for the 1982 ITV series Harry’s Game, set during the Troubles.

That year, they also became the first act to sing in Irish on Top of the Pops after the Theme From Harry’s Game reached No 5 in the UK singles chart. It is the only British chart hit sung entirely in Irish and won the band an Ivor Novello award for songwriting.

That decade, they would expand their sound with the influences of new age and pop. They had one more UK Top 40 hit in 1986 with In a Lifetime, a collaboration with Bono, which peaked at No 17.

Their influence endured: Theme From Harry’s Game is considered to have birthed the broad concept of Celtic music that would remain a chart proposition into the 1990s with acts such as the Corrs, and US composer James Horner based the soundtrack of the 1997 film Titanic on their sound.

Catherine Martin, the Irish Green party minister for tourism, culture, arts, gaeltacht, sport and media, praised the role that Duggan and Clannad played in raising the profile of Irish music.

“With Clannad, he created a sound infused with the music of his native Donegal and brought it to a national and international audience, winning awards and thrilling music lovers around the world.”

Their 1997 album Landmarks won the Grammy award for best new age album. The band then went on hiatus and Noel and Pádraig performed as the Duggans, releasing one album, Rubicon, in 2005.

The band reformed in 2007 and released their 16th and final album, Nádúr, in 2013. Following the death of Pádraig, the surviving members planned a farewell tour in 2020, managing a few dates before lockdown restrictions ended live music performances.