[3] Their early repertoire consisted of American country numbers and arrangements of contemporary songs by artists such as Joni Mitchel and the Beatles, until their mother suggested that they should sing in Gaelic.

The brothers used a tape recorder to collect old Irish songs from elderly people in their village and on Tory Island,[4] ten miles off the coast of Donegal, the place of origin of the Duggan family, "before they were lost forever".

[6] The band took a ten-year break after winning a Grammy Award for their 1998 album Landmarks and the two brothers continued performing as The Duggans.

They were introduced to television by Tony MacMahon,[8] and in 2005 released their first studio album Rubicon, which featured Moya Brennan, Finbar Furey and Órla Fallon among others.

The brothers played again as part of Clannad after the band reformed in 2007, following a family gathering in Leo's Tavern to celebrate their sister's 50th birthday.