Her highest chart placing to date is in the Czech Republic, where she reached No.2 but the album's performance in key markets has been hugely impressive: it has already gone Top 3 in Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Meanwhile in the US, Canada and the UK, And Winter Came has also gone Top 10, hitting No.8 in the US and No.6 in both Canada and the UK. "It's been brilliant so far," producer Nicky Ryan told Hot Press. "There has been a hugely positive reaction to the record and that's been reflected in sales."

The album is likely to continue to rise in the US, with a burst of promotional activity planned over the next week. "We're just back from Japan," Ryan added. "It's an extraordinary country and they've done an amazing job there. You can see that it really matters to them. This week we head to the States, which we're really looking forward to. It's been hectic, but overall we're very happy with the way it's shaping up.

"The important thing is that it is not being seen as a Christmas album. Warners will be releasing 'My, My, Time Flies' as a single in the new year, so they see this as a record that will have real sustain."

Regarded by many as her finest recording to date, And Winter Came has already taken Enya's cumulative career album sales well over the 70 million mark – and rising.