The Druids held the trees as very sacred.

I am not reclusive. I just have a private life.

Writing music on your own makes you think a lot about your life. Who are you? Would you change anything about yourself? This is where it comes from.

The success of Watermark surprised me. I never thought of music as something commercial; it was something very personal to me.

I am really a very shy person. If I appear, it is because of the music, not because I want to be seen.

I have had death threats from people with fixations.

I know every note in every song, the whole history of it, even parts that were there and are gone.

I use my voice as an instrument.

When I was growing up, I’d be in the choir. My mum was the organist in the church, so I’d sing in the church.

The music sold itself before anybody knew who I was.

My core beliefs revolve around the idea that we should live to the best of our abilities-we should live and let live.

I’m not one for walking the beaches humming a melody. I love the discipline of sitting in the studio, writing and listening. That is my domain.

With my music, I can express myself so much. A lot of the fans can sense that I’m relating to them something that’s quite personal.

I enjoyed the two years I was with Clannad. I enjoyed touring. We toured a lot in Europe.

My first language is Gaelic.

Over in the UK, the music press can be brutal. They can say wonderful things about you one week, and the next week, you’re in the can.

The ocean is a central image. It is the symbolism of a great journey.

I can only be who I am.

I could have been more famous if I did all the glitzy things, but celebrity always seemed so unnecessary.

It’s very homely, this castle. It doesn’t have huge ballrooms. I didn’t want a cold, cavernous place.

I don’t have pets, I have two guard dogs; and I don’t do my own shopping; it’s a security thing.

I do promotion when it is necessary, but I always want to get back to the music.

I tend to listen to the classical composers: Rachmaninov, Satie.

There is no formula to it. Writing every song is a little journey. The first note has to lift you.

I do a so-called trip into myself: I sit down at the piano and the melody might start to evolve from my playing or then I might start to sing it.

I don’t need a man in my life.

When making music I sink myself into the process as deeply as I can and forget all of the success.

As with anything creative, change is inevitable.

I told the record company I didn’t feel the need to be at red-carpet events. I wanted a career. But I wanted to keep myself intact as a person.

I am privileged to do a job I love to do. I would never change any moment from my life.

The Druids held the trees as very sacred.

People tend to think that because I need all this time on my own in the studio, that I need time on my own, period. And that’s not really true.

I didn’t expect such a huge reaction, but I knew I was doing something different to everything else that was happening at the time.

The writing of a melody is an emotional moment; success doesn’t make it easy.

It wasn’t so long ago that it was not popular to speak Gaelic in Ireland because the areas that Gaelic is spoken in were much poorer areas.

The personal appearances and red carpet events are very glitzy, but it’s a bit false.

Singing in Gaelic is very, very natural to do. I think lends itself very much so to being sung.

Fame and success are very different things.

The minuses of celebrity include having to live with security and the knowledge that you may be stalked.