Full name: Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin/Enya Patricia Brennan
the name Eithne comes from Irish mythology and was chosen by Enya's grandfather, what's quite
funny when you read the legend behind it
Place of birth: Gweedore, Co. Donegal, Ireland
Date of birth: May 17, 1961
Zodiac sign: Taurus
Parents: Leo and Máire (Baba) Brennan
Siblings: brothers Ciarán, Pól, Leon, Bartley;
sisters Máire, Deidre, Olive and Bridin
First language: Irish Gaelic
Languages she speaks: Irish Gaelic, English
Education: Loreto College, Milford, Co. Donegal
"I'm happy about some aspects but I always have recurring nightmares about it.
Last night I dreamt that the nuns came in and said "You've got to come back to school
now", and I said "But I've got an interview to do tomorrow". But they just said
"It doesn't matter - you've got to come back to boarding school."
The nuns were extremely strict. Every moment of your day was allocated for something.
If you were walking down a corridor, it meant that you were in the wrong place at
the wrong time and you were questioned. You would have to have a very good excuse.
Luckily there were day pupils as well so there were some boys there too. That's
good because if you're a teenager at an all girls' school, boys become such a
giggly topic of conversation."
Marital status: single
Height: 1.6m (5ft 3in)
Eye color: greenish brown
Hair color: dark-brown
Producer: Nicky Ryan
Lyricist: Roma Ryan
Recording companies: Atlantic, WEA (since Watermark)
Previous group: Clannad (2 years)
"Everybody in the family kept saying to the rest of the family: "'well, when
are you going to join Clannad?'" And without me saying 'yes', there I was in it."
Breakthrough hit: Orinoco Flow (Sail Away), 1988
Best-selling album: A Day Without Rain, 2000
Movies: old black & white (Rebecca by A. Hitchcock)
Book: Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (her favourite
character is Frodo)
Classical music: Sergey Rachmaninoff, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie
"I was asked the question "What was the first single you ever bought?"
and I thought "I have never bought a single or an album". Even as a teenager!
It's strange. I don't like listening to music. People find it hard to understand that."
Songs: Marble Halls, On Your Shore, Smaointe..., Fallen
Embers, Amarantine, If I Could Be Where You Are, Oíche Chiúin
Fashion designer: Maria Grachvogel (she designed the
dress that Enya wore to Amarantine launch party)
Food: Italian, French, Indian
"I don't eat red meat. I eat fish and lots of vegetables. I've been told I'm a very good
cook but take forever to prepare one meal. Everything has to be absolutely perfect and
nobody is allowed into the kitchen."
Drink: champagne and very dry white wine
Pets: "I don't have pets, I have two guard dogs."
"I love cats, at one stage I had 12. It was
just bliss. They'd all lie around in the sun and then come up and climb around my neck."
Name "enya" is a registered trademark.
Minor planet no. 6433 (discovered on November 18, 1978 by A. Mrkos at Klet) is named in honour of Enya.
