HISTORY

The past:
Declan de Barra was born in Waterford, Ireland and has been working as an independent musician since the age of 18. Forced to emigrate to Australia during the bleak 80’s, Declan quickly entered the Australian Music and Arts scene, touring the country for a number of years with his group “Non Intentional Lifeform” on Dutch label Roadrunner Records.

In 1999 he formed the musical group Clann Zú featuring various musicians from Melbourne’s Classical, punk and electronic scenes. Clann Zú became critically acclaimed internationally, releasing two albums on Canadian political label G7 Welcoming Committee, home to writers Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn as well as acclaimed groups Propaghandi and International Noise Conspiracy. The albums “Rua” and “Black Coats and Bandages” made the top ten critics choices in various overseas press for 2002 and 2004.

Following Declan’s return to Ireland in 2002 he quickly became part of the Irish music and film scene. Continuing to perform with Clann Zú on their final tour throughout 2004 in Canada and Australia, Declan also found the time to perform as a solo artist in Ireland.

Filmmaking has always been the natural progression of Declan’s musical pieces and songs. Having received numerous accolades for his animations his works have featured in numerous national and international film festivals.

The present:
Everything about Declan de Barra is a tangled mess of warped angelic tones. An intense and passionate voice weaving dark, beautiful and powerful songs. Sparse compositions drawn with a lonesome cello or hobo guitar line glittering underneath a soaring and intimate voice. Musical sketches that barely touch the surface in one stroke and rip through the paper with heavy mark in the next.

There is an overwhelming sense of drama and movement in all his work. Dark vignettes play themselves out constantly inside his psyche. ‘I see little movies and images burning in my head, I turn them into paintings, I turn them into writing, I turn them into
songs.’ Translated into musical canvasses these beautiful and poignant songs mark Declan as one of the most unique most exciting voices to come out of the new Irish
music scene.

Musically de Barra is shape shifter, crossing many musical realms and living in none. From the moving dark melodies of the almost Sean Nós like “Leaves in the Autumn” to the intimate and sparse “Curfew”, to the huge and dramatic “Blackbird Song” and “Three Days
From Now”. It all has Declan’s unique tattoo carved in into it’s back. Lyrical themes running from tales of loves and lives lost, refugees, resistance, cultural reclamation, hope and survival. So where does he reside musically? In what musical compartment shall we place him? Is he a singer songwriter? Is a he a poet? A…? de Barra’s response to the question is “I don’t give a fuck what you call it…it’s music that comes out of me. I don’t have a choice. You can call it what you want as long as I get to write and sing” Song Of a Thousand Birds is Declan’s debut solo album. The songs recorded in various flats, basements and
abandoned rooms in Dublin by de Barra over the course of a year and a half. Perhaps this explains the unique feel to the album, a sense of air left vacant, sparse and intimate lines whispered into your ear by an unseen singer. The melancholic feel on the songs tempered with an underlying hope that refuses to die, resistance to fate.

A troubadour, de Barra lives the music; he has lived hand to mouth for years, at times forced to steal food from bins in order to survive while making music. “There is no choice…I have to sing and write…it’s like a sickness, a beautiful sickness I am in love with. Song of A Thousand Birds was done with what ever I could beg borrow or steal, I ploughed
what little money I had into buying microphones and the like, food rent and sleep were secondary issues. I was really lucky that so many great musicians liked the songs and helped me out. This album is all I’ve eaten, drank and slept for the past few years.”
Fortunately things have progressed rapidly for de Barra with Song of a Thousand Birds” receiving rave reviews all over Europe and Declan touring and playing festivals from Germany to Spain. Declan’s live show can only be described as intense. After years of touring the world in various cult bands Declan broke free of the constraints imposed by working as part of a band “I wanted to be free, free to say yes to shows anywhere, free to hop on a plane, train, boat, and play to new people every night in the most direct and
intimate way. I didn’t want to hide behind anything or anyone anymore; every note and every word must live or die on its own merits. Honesty and simplicity can be like a punch in the face and that’s what I wanted, these songs had to liveand survive on their own”

Song of A Thousand Birds features some of the cream of Irish contemporary musicians. Rónán O’Snodaigh from Kila, Turlough Gunawardhana from The Chapters on cello, Richie Egan (AKA Jape) from Redneck Manifesto on bass, Cion O’Callaghan from Paddy Casey’s band on drums and renowned fiddle player Adrian Hart. Three of the songs also feature
contributions by former Clann Zú band mates Russell Fawcus and Benjamin Andrews.