Declan de Barra

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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 1980s, he 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.^{[citation needed]}

Following de Barra'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, He also found the time to perform as a solo artist in Ireland, releasing a debut solo album titled, Song Of a Thousand Birds. The album received rave reviews all over Europe^{[citation needed]} and allowed de Barra to tour and play festivals from Germany to Spain.

De Barra's works tend to be sparse compositions that cross over many musical realms. Filmmaking has been the natural progression of de Barra's musical pieces and songs. He has received numerous accolades for his animations, and his works have featured in numerous national and international film festivals.^{[citation needed]}