Theme from Harry’s Game: quick facts
- Band: Clannad, a family band from Gweedore, Co. Donegal.
- Released: October 1982, as the theme for the ITV thriller series Harry’s Game.
- Language: sung entirely in Irish.
- Charts: number five in the UK and number two in Ireland. It is the only UK hit single ever sung entirely in Irish.
- Since then: it won an Ivor Novello award and was used in the film Patriot Games and a Volkswagen ad in the US.
In 1982 a family band from the Donegal Gaeltacht wrote a theme tune for a TV drama about the Troubles, and sang it entirely in Irish. It went to number five in the UK charts. More than 40 years later, it’s still the only UK hit ever sung completely in the Irish language.
Who are Clannad?
Clannad came from Gweedore, in the Irish-speaking north-west of Co. Donegal. The band was formed in 1970 by siblings Moya (Máire), Ciarán and Pól Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan, and they started out playing in their family’s pub, Leo’s Tavern. Their younger sister Enya was a member for a couple of years before going solo. Read more about Enya and Only Time.
A theme for Harry’s Game
In 1982 Yorkshire Television was making Harry’s Game, a thriller about a British agent sent undercover in Belfast during the Troubles. The producers asked Clannad for a theme tune. The band wrote something new, haunting and simple, built on Moya Brennan’s layered voice and sung in Irish.
It was a risk: a song in Irish had never been a big hit in Britain. But when the series aired, people kept asking about the music. The single went to number five in the UK and number two in Ireland, and it won Clannad an Ivor Novello award.
Where you’ve heard it since
“Theme from Harry’s Game” took on a life of its own. It was used in the 1992 Harrison Ford film Patriot Games and in a Volkswagen advert that introduced Clannad to American audiences, and it has turned up in countless documentaries and tributes. Clannad later scored the TV series Robin of Sherwood and recorded “In a Lifetime” with Bono.
Theme from Harry’s Game FAQ
What language is Theme from Harry’s Game sung in?
Irish (Gaeilge).
Who sang Theme from Harry’s Game?
Clannad, with Moya Brennan on lead vocals.
Was Theme from Harry’s Game a hit?
Yes. It reached number five in the UK and number two in Ireland in 1982.
Where are Clannad from?
Gweedore, Co. Donegal.
More Irish music
- Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars
- Enya’s Only Time
- Adele’s Hello sung as Gaeilge
- Ireland’s Eurovision winners
- Learn Irish online
Featured image: still from Clannad’s official YouTube (Vevo) channel.
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