"Macalla" - Clannad

Album

U2 Related Content:

Full Track List:

  • “Caislean Õir”
  • “The Wild Cry”
  • “Closer To Your Heart”
  • “In A Lifetime”
  • “Almost Seems (Too Late To Turn)”
  • “Indoor”
  • “Buachaill On Eirne”
  • “Blackstairs”
  • “Journey’s End”
  • “Northern Skyline”

Additional Tracks (2004 Remaster):

  • “Caislean Õir” (Planet Heaven Mix)

Background Information

Macalla was released by Clannad in 1985, worldwide. The album was remastered, and reissued on September 1, 2003 adding one additional bonus track and featuring different cover artwork. (A reddish cover, with a broken fence) In 2025, to celebrate the album’s 40th anniversary, Clannad released a new mastered version of the album, and restored the original cover on this release.

Bono joins Clannad on the song “In A Lifetime”. This is the album where that song was initially released. The song starts with Máire Brennan being heard teaching Bono Gaelic during the instrumental intro to the song.

The song, recorded at Windmill Lane, was released as a single, and is one of Clannad’s biggest hits. It was first released in January 1986 as the third single from Macalla, in 1989 it was re-released to promote the Past Present collection of songs. And in 1993, when the song was in use for an advertising campaign for Jameson Whiskey, it was released again. The initial single reached #17 in the UK singles chart.

The video for the song was filmed by Meiert Avis, who had worked on most of U2’s early videos. It is based on life in small villages in Irish history, showing scenes of children walking narrow roads, a couple walking with a bicycle, old men drinking in a pub, and a hearse winding through the countryside. Footage of Bono and Máire Brennen in the woods and on a cliff is also included in the video. The video was filmed in Gweedore, a small town in County Donegal in Ireland. The video inspired the artist Dave McKean in his early drawings and design of the character Sandman for DC Comics, and early sketches of the character found in the Preludes and Nocturnes graphic novel is unmistakably Bono taken from the video for “In a Lifetime”. The Sandman series was a critically acclaimed and an award winning series, and Bono served as an early inspiration for the characters look.

Clannad have released a few live versions of “In a Lifetime”, most notably on the “Gaelforce” CD, but none of these live performances include Bono and are often sung with other vocalists.

Being one of Clannad’s biggest hits, the song has been released on numerous Clannad collections over the years including The Collection (1986), Past Present (1989), Themes (US Release, 1995), Rogha: The Best of Clannad (1996), Celtic Collections (1996), In a Lifetime: The Ultimate Collection (1997), The Ultimate Collection (1998), Magic Elements (1998), Greatest Hits (2000), The Best of Clannad (2001), A Magical Gathering: The Clannad Anthology (2002), The Very Best of Clannad (2003), The Best of Clannad: In a Lifetime (2003), Songbook: The Very Best of Clannad (2007), and Celtic Themes: The Very Best of Clannad (2008). The song was also featured on the 1992 US release of the album Anam, as a bonus track. “In a Lifetime” has also been included on a number of compilation CDs including Moods 2 (1994), Celtic Spirit (1996), Celtic Myst (1998), Best of Celtic (2003), Greatest Irish Bands (2004), and The Celtic Circle (2004). In each case the version of the song is the version recorded for Macalla but in some cases there are minor differences in level or length as these collections were mastered from a variety of sources.

Liner Notes

In a Lifetime: Written by Pól Brennan and Ciarán Brennan. Produced by Steve Nye. Ciarán Brennan – bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals. Máire Brennan – vocals, harp. Bono – vocals. Pól Brennan – flute, guitar, percussion, vocals. Noel Duggan – guitar, vocals. Pádraig Duggan – guitar, mandolin, vocals. Engineered by Kevin Maloney at Windmill Lane Studio. Assistant Engineer: John Grimes. Mixed at Windmill Lane Studio.

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Catalog of Releases

Other Known Formats:

Original Release:
12-Inch, Argentina, RCA-70042, RCA
12-Inch, Australia, VPL1 7498, RCA
12-Inch, Brazil, 104.7124, RCA
12-Inch, Canada, NFL1-8063, RCA
12-Inch, Germany, PL 70894, RCA
12-Inch, Greece, RCALP 20361, RCA
12-Inch, Ireland, TARA 3016, Tara
12-Inch, Italy, PL 70892, RCA
12-Inch, Japan, RPL-8325, RCA
12-Inch, Portugal, PL70894, RCA
12-Inch, South Africa, ML 4826, RCA
12-Inch, Spain, PL 70894, RCA
12-Inch, USA, NFL1-8063, RCA
12-Inch, Zimbabwe, ML 4826, RCA
Cassette, Argentina, TMS 70042, RCA
Cassette, Australia, VPK1-7498, RCA
Cassette, Canada, NFK1-8063, RCA
Cassette, Greece, RCTC 20361, RCA
Cassette, Ireland, 4TA 3016, Tara
Cassette, Italy, PK 70894, RCA
Cassette, Italy, 74321453554, Gruppo Futura / RCA
Cassette, UK, PK 70894, RCA
Cassette, USA, NFK1-8063, RCA
5-Inch CD, Australia, PCD1-8963, RCA
5-Inch CD, France, PD 70894, RCA
5-Inch CD, Germany, 74321 16035 2, RCA
5-Inch CD, Italy, 74321453552, Gruppo Futura / RCA
5-Inch CD, UK, PD 70894, RCA
5-Inch CD, USA, PCD1-8063, RCA

2003 Remaster:
5-Inch CD, Chile, 82876 54500 2, RCA / BMG
5-Inch CD, Europe, 82876 545002, RCA / BMG
5-Inch CD, Japan, BVCM-37455, RCA / BMG

2025 Remaster:
12-Inch, Worldwide, 964169431, BMG (Grey Marble)
5-Inch CD, Worldwide, 964169422, BMG