Editing Clannad (section)

===1985–1989: ''Macalla'' and ''Sirius''===
In 1985, Clannad released their next album, {{lang|ga|[[Macalla]]}} ('Echo'), which was recorded in Switzerland, England, and Ireland. Apart from one traditional song, the album contained all-original material, and yielded a hit single, "[[In a Lifetime]]", a duet with U2 singer [[Bono]], which began with {{lang|ga|italic=unset|Máire}} teaching some Irish to Bono during the introduction.<ref>'"Easter-egg" during first 20 seconds of "Lifetime"', {{lang|ga|italic=unset|Máire}} explains during public IRC chat with fans, 2003.</ref> The album featured numerous backing musicians, who continued to work with the band on tour, including ex-[[King Crimson]] saxophonist [[Mel Collins]], [[Moving Hearts]]' guitarist [[Anthony Drennan]], and drummer Paul Moran. Also on board was producer [[Steve Nye]], who oversaw the pop-flavoured "[[Closer to Your Heart (Clannad song)|Closer to Your Heart]]" and the ballad "[[Almost Seems (Too Late to Turn)]]" both of which became hit singles. "Almost Seems" served as the [[Children in Need]] charity single in 1985. In 1986, the band put out their first anthology<!--Not "compilation"; that means various artists.--> album, ''[[The Collection (Clannad album)|The Collection]]''.

In October 1987, Clannad worked with American producers [[Russ Kunkel]] (drummer of [[James Taylor]]'s band) and [[Greg Ladanyi]] on their next album, ''[[Sirius (Clannad album)|Sirius]]''. The album was given a contemporary pop-influenced sound and production, creating the impression that it was recorded in the US, although it was recorded in the UK and mixed in Los Angeles.<ref name="SOS93" /> {{lang|ga|italic=unset|Máire}} Brennan recalled that the band had been at an experimental stage at the time and said Ladanyi and Kunkel had not listened to their previous records. {{lang|ga|italic=unset|Ciarán}} thought the music had been "sandpapered down to be a radio-friendly album", and that the production had relied too heavily on a computer.<ref name="SOS93" /> ''Sirius'' featured "[[Something to Believe In (Clannad song)|Something to Believe In]]", a duet with [[Bruce Hornsby]] on vocals and keyboards, and guest appearances by [[Steve Perry (musician)|Steve Perry]] (of [[Journey (band)|Journey]]) and [[JD Souther]]. In February 1988, the band began a world tour which included dates across Europe, Australia, and the US, to commemorate their 15th anniversary.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002324/19880228/179/0015 |title=[Untitled] |date=28 February 1988 |work=Sunday Independent<!--Which one? There are 4 notable papers by this name. Link to the correct one. BNA archives more than UK papers. It's probably the Irish one but at this stage in their career it could have been any of the 4.--> |page=15 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2 July 2023}}</ref>

In between their 1988 tour dates, the group scored three episodes of the BBC wildlife documentary series ''[[Natural World (TV series)|Natural World]]'' about the [[Atlantic Ocean]], which were broadcast in January 1989. A soundtrack album of the score was released in 1989 as ''[[Atlantic Realm]]'' by [[BBC Records]] (reissued 1996 by BMG), and went to No.&nbsp;41 in the UK. In addition, Clannad released a second anthology<!--Not "compilation"; that means various artists.--> album, ''[[Pastpresent]]'', which focused on their output 1982-on, with two new tracks: "[[The Hunter (Clannad song)|The Hunter]]" and "World of Difference". The album was a commercial success, peaking at No.&nbsp;5 in the UK, where it was certified platinum for over 300,000 copies sold.<ref name="SW89">{{cite news |url= https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002323/19890813/107/0021 |title=Up in Clannad's hillside 'haunt' |date=13 August 1989 |first=Eddie |last=Rowley |work=[[Sunday World]] |page=21 |url-access=subscription |access-date=9 July 2023}}</ref> It was promoted with a sold-out UK tour and the release of a double A-side single, "[[Hourglass (Clannad song)|Hourglass]]" with "Theme from ''Harry's Game''", although "Hourglass" was not on the anthology. Clannad provided music for ''The Angel and the Soldier Boy'', an animated film narrated by actor [[Tom Conti]]. {{lang|ga|italic=unset|Ciarán}} and {{lang|ga|italic=unset|Pól}} Brennan wrote the music, which was performed by the band. A soundtrack with the same name was released in 1989. Also in 1989, Clannad won four [[Clio Award]]s for their music used in a US advertisement produced by {{lang|ga|italic=unset|[[Fáilte Ireland|An Bord Fáilte]]}}.<ref name="SW89" />