In 1984 Clannad released one of their best-known albums. Legend was the soundtrack to the cult TV show Robin Of Sherwood and helped them become the first Irish band to scoop a BAFTA. Forty years on it was lovingly expanded with previously unreleased material, and performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall as the band’s farewell show. Prog took a journey through Sherwood Forest with Moya and Pól Brennan to uncover the story behind the album that made them household names.
When Pól Brennan returned to his family band – 21 years after leaving to work with Peter Gabriel at Real World Studios – he had a specific ambition in mind. It took Clannad a further 13 years to realise that ambition, and it may be the last thing they’ll ever do.
The Irish group – Pól’s sister Moya, brother Ciarán and late uncles Pádraig and Noel Duggan – first turned heads in the wider world with 1982’s Theme From Harry’s Game: a haunting, dark, close-harmony ode for the TV series that lamented Ireland’s Troubles. The first Gaelic hit single outside their own country, it proved to be a levelling-up experience along with its parent album, 1983’s Magical Ring.
The most immediate result was an invitation to do more TV work. Screenwriter Richard ‘Kip’ Carpenter – known for creating golden-era British shows Catweazle, The Ghosts Of Motley Hall and The Boy From Space for the BBC’s Look And Read educational strand – wanted to retell the Robin Hood myth in a deeply different manner from his Hollywood predecessors.
He, producer Paul Knight and director Ian Sharp had been intrigued by Harry’s Game, and Magical Ring – featuring a balance of traditional folk and Clannad’s with new synthed-up direction – soon became essential listening as they put together future cult TV show Robin Of Sherwood.
“I was suspicious when the idea came in,” Pól tells Prog, taking a break from pre-production ahead of their recent celebratory concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall. “But when they told us what they were planning, it sounded really interesting.”
Moya loved the idea from the start. “It’s about someone becoming a hero and helping the poor – you’ve got to love it!” she says. Her interest was only to increase as the project continued.
Agreements made, work began in London’s Trident studios in October 1983 with Tony Clarke, who’d produced the first eight Moody Blues albums and also tried to have King Crimson signed to the Moodies’ record label. “Tony really climbed in with us for the whole thing – in with the music, in with trying things,” Moya says.
We each took characters; I went for Herne the Hunter, Ciáran did Lady Marian. We were picking out moods that could work
Pól Brennan
“Tony was magic, and he introduced us to some new toys,” Pól says, referring particularly to the recently developed Synclavier II synth and sequencer system. “It really solidified our development. They talk about ‘new age’ music; before that there was no new age – we were in the vanguard of the new age!”
From early on the TV scenes were being constructed around Clannad’s demos, and as a result the way their music was interpolated into the three seasons of Robin Of Sherwood from 1984 to 1986 changed perceptions of how soundtracks could work. “It was a different type of storytelling,” Moya says. “It wasn’t just adding music to whatever had already been done.”
Agreeing that Clannad’s character-driven motifs acted almost like extensions of the medieval myth’s auras, she offers an example: “Before you see Herne you hear his music – you know he’s either going to appear or he’s connected with what’s going on.”
Robin Of Sherwood put more meat on the bones of its mythical characters than any show before it, exploring the roots of the stories and introducing elements of magic and paganism that hadn’t previously been associated with the 14th-century tales of 12th-century England.
You wanted to be in fields or a forest… but you’d open the studio door and there you were in the middle of London!
Moya Brennan
Led by Michael Praed and later Jason Connery, the show was an in-depth exploration of how myths are built and why they last, transforming from real-life reports of rebellion against cruel overlords into verbal life lessons that last for generations. Little wonder it achieved cult status.
“What made the show so very different was the music,” Moya says, “but that came from Richard’s beautiful writing. It’s strange when you hear what it’s about, but he made it make sense. No one knows if Robin came from a rich family or a poor family, and Richard used both.”
She adds: “Paul Robinson from Goldcrest, the production company, was in the same office as David Puttnam [Chariots Of Fire producer] – and David told him he was mad to be doing what he was doing with Robin!”
Connections were made stronger still when Clannad visited a shooting location on the Welsh border (and managed to ruin a scene by standing behind a prop that didn’t hide their white trainers). “Going on location was very helpful, seeing the characters and how the show was put together,” says Moya. “Richard told us they’d been working things out to Magical Ring, so it was definitely on the back of that – he wanted that kind of ethereal earthiness.
“The whole show – the producers and the actor and us – had a feeling of a family. Last year there was an event near one of the locations they’d used, and we were there with the actors – Michael, Jason, Clive Mantle and others – and it was lovely. Some of them have come to our concerts over the years.”
As time went on and the themes developed, you got the feeling that something kinda special was going on
Moya Brennan
Moya recalls Pól and Ciáran rattling out compositions with apparent ease, such was the strength of Carpenter’s incredible storytelling. “We were working from the script or sometimes rushes from the show,” Pól explains. “We each took characters; I went for Herne the Hunter, Ciáran did Lady Marian. We were going through it, picking out moods that could work for the show.”
When the idea of an album related to the show was mooted, Pól jumped at it, not realising how much work it would entail. “If we had known what we’d signed up for we’d have wanted much, much more time,” he admits.
Suddenly Clannad were working to balance tight TV deadlines and record label requirements, and had relocated to the original Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin “Recording in the middle of Soho was probably the most difficult thing about it all,” Moya recalls. “You wanted to be in fields or a forest or something, recording that kind of music – but you’d open the studio door and there you were in the middle of London!
“They were still filming the show and we were doing the album as well, just trying to put the two together. Tony was fantastic. The record company just wanted another album after Magical Ring.” Clarke helped shield the band from the worst of that pressure. “And it was worth it, because it worked,” Moya points out.
Pól says Clannad tried to avoid thinking too much about the risk they were taking as a relatively young band trying out a new direction. He was given hope “when people from the production company dropped in to see how we were getting on, and their jaws dropped,” but, he adds: “We were all in. If it hadn’t worked, you know... But here we are, 40 years later, talking about it. So it did work!”
Moya appears to have been more confident from early on: “As time went on and the themes developed, you got the feeling that something kinda special was going on.”
I wanted to make Legend feel complete. But there had been a fire and we weren’t sure if our stuff had been in it
Pól Brennan
Legend – Clannad’s eighth album – was released in April 1984, and helped them become the first Irish band to win a BAFTA, for Best Original Television Music. Used as the show’s theme music, Robin The Hooded Man took its inspiration from a line Ciáran saw in an early script, while he was fighting to get the 1950s TV theme, ‘Robin Hood, Robin Hood / Riding through the glen’, out of his head.
The song featured just the title’s four words, delivered in the harmonic style of Harry’s Game. It was a moderately successful single, reaching No.41 in the UK and carrying as its B-side the instrumental Lady Marian, featuring Moya’s beautiful harp work.
Now Is Here and Scarlet Inside were also released as singles, while Ancient Forest – the last track to be recorded, finished around 4am just before deadline – was the only track with a co-writing credit for Moya, Pól and Ciáran; Pól was credited with five other songs and Ciáran with four.
Legend also helped push them on to bigger things – not least the prog-infused Sirius from 1987, and 1989 soundtrack albums Atlantic Realm and The Angel And The Soldier Boy. First, though, they went back to work at Windmill Lane for more Robin episodes – material that didn’t appear on Legend.
I had to do a bit of re-recording… but I was listening and thinking how it all fits together so well
Pól Brennan
The show ended after a third double-length season, featuring Connery as a new incarnation of Robin. When he returned to Clannad in 1991, Pól brought with him the determination to assemble all the material they’d contributed. The only problem was no one could find the later recordings. As early as 2003 the band reported: “The search is continuing and hopefully one day these recordings will be able to be released.”
Pól explains: “I wanted to make Legend feel complete. But there had been a fire and we weren’t sure if our stuff had been in it. Then just last year we got an email saying there was a possibility the tapes still existed.”
They did – but they were in appallingly poor condition. “We had to bake them and all kinds of things, and I had to tweak them and do a bit of re-recording. But they’re back. And I was listening to them and thinking how much it all fits together so well.”
Now released as Legend Extended, the body of work is finally complete. However, had it never been assembled, Pól had remained determined to bring the music back to life somehow. One previous plan was to stage a re-enactment performance at Lincoln Castle; over the years things changed until the band announced their one-off performance of all the music at the Albert Hall on October 30, 2024.
The siblings were vague, but seemed to have differing views when asked about Clannad’s future. Then, a week before the Legend show, the band announced: “As we began to prepare for this concert, it became clear that this was to be our last live performance together as a band. We always wanted to celebrate this album, and to end our live shows at such an iconic venue is the perfect way for us to finish.”
I wanted the show streamed live; I was going for all media. But in a way it’s nice that it’ll be a limited experience
Pól Brennan
Sadly, for rights reasons, the Albert Hall concert was bereft of playback from the TV show; and despite months of effort Pól couldn’t secure rights to shoot it for a future release. He hinted the performance would include appearances from some members of the Robin Of Sherwood cast, but pre-production was still underway when he spoke, and he couldn’t commit to anything. (They did! - Ed.)
“When we started I wanted it streamed live,” he says. “I was going for all media. But in a way it’s nice that it’ll be a limited experience.”
The fact that both of his long-held ambitions have been achieved just in time for the family from Gweedore, Donegal, to bow out must be the cause of bittersweet satisfaction. “Hope to see you out there somewhere,” he signs off as our interview ends. If not, it’s fitting that Clannad pass into legend with the completion of a 40-year saga.
