Clannad (Irish pronunciation: [klGanGadG]) are an Irish family band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal. Their music has been described as folk, folk rock, traditional Irish, Celtic and new-age, often incorporating elements of smooth jazz and Gregorian chant. Formed by siblings Ciaran Brennan, Pol, and Maire Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Padraig Duggan, the band were initially known as Clann as Dobhar; in 1973 they shortened their name to Clannad. By 1979 they had released three albums and completed a successful US tour.
1990-2000: Four-piece band, Anam, Banba, and Lore
After Pol's exit, Clannad continued as a quartet and recorded Anam (Irish for Soul) in Dublin and England. It marked a return to their sound heard on Magical Ring and Macalla, and features greater contributions from Ciaran who is credited as a writer on nine of the album's ten original songs. The US edition, released in 1992, features "In a Lifetime" with Bono and "Theme from Harry's Game", which had been included in the film Patriot Games and a Volkswagen television advert, boosting the group's recognition in the country. The latter won a Billboard Music Award for World Music Song of the Year. Clannad dedicated "Ri na Cruinne", the opening track, was included on the One World One Voice charity album to raise awareness of environmental issues.  In 1991, Clannad released a duet Paul Young titled "Both Sides Now". The track had been put together for the Blake Edwards film Switch, featuring Ellen Barkin. In the storyline, a nasty male chauvinist, is reincarnated as an attractive female. The use of the Joni Mitchell song was therefore suitable and proved a hit for the group. Released in 1993, Banba became Clannad's 13th studio album and received rave reviews and the band's first Grammy nomination. The album jogged comfortably to the number one spot in the World Music Chart. Banba is a romantic mythical name for Ireland. In the track "I Will Find You," written especially for the film The Last of the Mohicans, Maire sings in English, Mohican and Cherokee. Once again all the songs were written and produced by Ciaran Brennan, except "Sunset Dreams", written by Noel Duggan. Moya Brennan described the album as "a fusion of various styles of music, growing out of a traditional Gaelic root." Banba has been described as one of Clannad's most visual albums, and has sold over 1 million copies to date.  The album Lore (1996) gave some thought to the Native American Indians. On "Trail of Tears", when Noel Duggan imagines how it felt to be exiled from one's ancestral land, he was also thinking about these people and their connection with the Irish. It opens with "Croi Croga" ('braveheart' in English) which was written as a theme tune for the Mel Gibson film Braveheart which, for unknown reasons, never made it onto the soundtrack. Lore features American drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and Mel Collins. It contained a strong jazz element, with songs such as "Seanchas" blending contemporary sounds with traditional Irish music and the Irish language. Clannad toured Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand in 1996 to promote the Lore album, but due to apparent disagreements with Atlantic Records, plans to tour the USA were scrapped. In 1996, they received a lifetime achievement award from the Irish recording industry (the IRMA).  Clannad returned in 1997 with another album, Landmarks. In the song "Of This Land", Maire sings about Ireland, of its past and of its future. The track "Fado" (translates as Long Ago), demonstrates the influences of old Celtic history on Clannad's music. It became one of the most celebrated Irish albums in history and in 1999, it won the group a Grammy award for Best New Age Album.  In 1999, the group composed the song "What Will I Do" for the Kevin Costner film, Message in a Bottle.

Q: What is four-piece band?
A: After Pol's exit, Clannad continued as a quartet
How did Clannad fare as a four-piece band?
recorded Anam (Irish for Soul) in Dublin and England.
recorded Anam (Irish for Soul) in Dublin and England.