Enya seen for the first time in 8 years after reclusive life in Victorian castle

Metro

30-05-2025

Enya has been spotted for the first time in years.
The Only Time hitmaker, 64, is rarely seen out and about, having floated onto the world's stage in the 1980s with her ethereal, unique sound on hits including Orinoco Flow and Evening Falls.
Since, she's clocked up four Grammy Awards, countless nominations and an Oscars shortlist for her soundtrack classic May It Be, from Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
The vocalist, famed for her haunting choir-like melodies, is the second most successful Irish artist of all time after U2, having sold over 80million albums, and she's got a reported £98m fortune.
Fans have been wondering where Enya is, as her last music drop was ten years ago in her 2015 eighth studio album, Dark Sky Island.
She's also not been seen publicly since the Grammys in 2017, so this was a reassuring moment for fans, as she looked the picture of health, dressed up for a wedding at Drumhalla House in Donegal on May 16.
The Only Time hitmaker wore a gorgeous black and white lacey dress, with a shimmering necklace and short haircut as she posed with fellow attendees.
The Irish singer's reclusive lifestyle has been documented over the years, as she reportedly spends much time in her 19th century castle, located just south of Dublin, by the sea.
Having bought Manderley Castle – named after the house in her favourite book, Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca – in 1997 for €3.8m (£2.5m), Enya is thought to enjoy the sprawling space with, at one time, up to a dozen cats.
In a 2015 interview while talking about her new music, Enya touched on her love life.
'I am single, yes,' she told The Independent. 'But as the song suggests, there have been… relationships. It's quite hard to have someone accept that – well, not that they are second to the music, but that I do need a certain amount of space for it.
'And even though the person will understand that at the beginning, there is something like jealousy towards the music after a while.'
There was a seven-year gap between her last two albums, and Enya said at the time that she needed the pause. Alongside her Irish bolthole, Enya bought a house in the south of France and travelled in this time, visiting family.
The rest of her days, the publication report, are spent in Manderley Castle, not far from Bono's place.
During her time there Enya has fortified the castle walls sky-high, having experienced a number of disturbing run-ins with stalkers, which she told the outlet has 'been traumatic'.
Enya was born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin in Ireland in 1961, one of nine children.
As a teenager Enya enjoyed a brief time with her family's band Clannad, before going it alone and collaborating with producer Nicky Ryan and his poet wife Roma Ryan, who she continued to work with all the way to her latest album.
Got a story?
If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [e-mail], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.