Rua is the first full length album by Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

-Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n band Clann Zú

Clann Zú

Clann Zú was an Australian and Irish band that formed in Melbourne in 1999.-Biography:The forming members drew inspiration from an eclectic mix of musical styles, such as punk, rock, folk, electronic, and classical. Their fusion of Celtic folk, electronic music, and rock has created a unique epic...

. The album contains themes of resistance and desperation. The songs are sung mainly in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, though there is some use of Irish Gaelic

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

. The production gives the songs a heavily layered sound, with prominent use of violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 tracks and Declan de Barra

Declan de Barra

Declan de Barra is an Irish musician and writer.-Music:de Barra emigrated to Australia in 1998 and started playing in various bands while studying fine art in Perth, Western Australia. He toured the country for a number of years with his group Non-Intentional Lifeform on Dutch label Roadrunner...

's emotive voice.

There is a video for the track "Five Thousand More" on the CD.

Track listing

Music by Clann Zú; lyrics by Declan de Barra.

1. "Words for Snow" – 4:37
2. "Five Thousand More" – 4:14
3. "Hope This Day" – 3:17
4. "All That You've Ever Known" – 5:34
5. "Everyday" – 4:05
6. "All the People Now" – 6:31
7. "Rí Rá" – 3:22
8. "Lights Below" – 6:12
9. "Crashing to the Floor" – 2:44
10. "You're Listening to a Dead Man Speak" – 6:53
11. "Five Thousand More" (Video)