Now that Clannad have officially called time on their remarkable career, Moya Brennan is free to fully indulge her solo material. This is actually a return to an earlier part of Brennan’s solo life: in 2005 the Donegal native released An Irish Christmas, a collection of Celtic-inspired recordings of classic and contemporary songs. Eighteen years later, they are due a refresh by the self-styled first lady of Celtic music.

In some ways this feels like a missed opportunity for Brennan, who is now 71 but has retained the vivacity if not the firepower of her voice. All too often the bells, whistles and layered-voice effect (as heard on Bright Star and I Still Believe) smother the song in a kind of stylised nostalgia. That said, this collection largely avoids cliche, although it teeters close to diddly-eye territory on more than one occasion.

The simplicity of Oíche Chiúin is beautiful, as is her Irish-language take on Little Drummer Boy, An Drumadóir, while the buoyant Deck the Halls stays true to the titular remit, exploding into a Celtic reel that is as cheesy as it is toe-tappy. It would have been nice to hear Brennan use her voice to more potent effect, perhaps on better songs and with better production. Still, after decades in the business, she is a musician who knows her market and clearly has it cornered.