Tributes pour in for Clannad co-founder Noel Duggan

By Natasha Scharf
( Prog )
last updated

Clannad's Noel Duggan has died suddenly at age 73. The band were due to wrap up their In A Lifetime: 50th anniversary farewell tour in Dublin this December

Clannad's Noel Duggan performing onstage in 2022
Noel Duggan performs at Sentrum Scene on April 22, 2022 in Oslo, Norway. (Image credit: Per Ole Hagen/Redferns/Getty)

Tributes are pouring in for Clannad co-founder Noel Duggan, who died suddenly on the evening of October 15, 2022. 

Across two tweets, the celtic prog band wrote: "We are heartbroken to share the news that Noel Duggan, our beloved Uncle, trusted friend, and founding member of Clannad, died suddenly in Donegal yesterday evening. He was 73 years old."

"Noel will be forever remembered for his outstanding guitar solos, his love of music and his dedication to the band."

Guitarist/vocalist Noel and his twin brother Padraig Duggan formed Clannad in 1970 with their niece Moya Brennan and nephews Pol and Ciaran. Although their self-titled debut was released in 1973, global success eluded them until they penned the title song to the TV drama Harry's Game in 1982. Theme From Harry's Game reached No.5 in the UK charts and a year later, appeared on their 1983 album, Magical Ring, which earned them their first Gold record. Further success came in the form of their 1984 album, Legend, which was the soundtrack to another TV show, Robin Of Sherwood.

Although Clannad's last studio album was 2013's Nádúr, in 2020 they released a 50-year career retrospective, In A Lifetime, which included two new songs produced by Trevor Horn and new mixes released via digital platforms. They've spent most of 2022 on their delayed In A Lifetime: 50th anniversary farewell tour, which included a performance at Cropredy in August 2022. Their final show of 2022 was scheduled at Dublin's 3Arena on December 9. It's not yet clear if this date will still go ahead.

Watch Clannad performing Theme From Harry's Game in Bath on their 2022 farewell tour below.


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Clannad - Theme From Harry's Game - Live At Bath (Official Performance) - YouTube
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Natasha Scharf
Natasha Scharf
Deputy Editor, Prog

Contributing to Prog since the very first issue, writer and broadcaster Natasha Scharf was the magazine’s News Editor before she took up her current role of Deputy Editor, and has interviewed some of the best-known acts in the progressive music world from ELP, Yes and Marillion to Nightwish, Dream Theater and TesseracT. Starting young, she set up her first music fanzine in the late 80s and became a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines over the next decade. The 00s would see her running the dark music magazine, Meltdown, as well as contributing to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Artrocker. Author of music subculture books The Art Of Gothic and Worldwide Gothic, she’s since written album sleeve notes for Cherry Red, and also co-wrote Tarja Turunen’s memoirs, Singing In My Blood. Beyond the written word, Natasha has spent several decades as a club DJ, spinning tunes at aftershow parties for Metallica, Motörhead and Nine Inch Nails. She’s currently the only member of the Prog team to have appeared on the magazine’s cover.