About the Artist
2 is a collaborative Celtic rock double album released in May 2026 by harpist Sarah Marie Mullen and multi-instrumentalist Cyrus Rua. Across 22 tracks, the project combines original compositions and traditional folk material with heavy Celtic harp and full-band rock arrangements inspired by the mythology of Fionn mac Cumhaill and the Fianna.
The album features contributions from Sarah Marie Mullen, Cyrus Rua, Rosie Bans, Brona McVittie, Miriam Speyer, Eddie Jeff Cahill, Cathryn Lyons, Susun Csikos, Rabbit Bundrick of The Who, Brian Viglione of The Dresden Dolls, John Avila of Oingo Boingo, Jimmy Keegan of Spock’s Beard and Pattern-Seeking Animals, Dr. Sick of Squirrel Nut Zippers, and the resonant carillon work of Cast in Bronze.
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The Album
Crathadh T’aodaich opens the first half of the album with this steady rhythm that feels tied to physical work. The title translates from Scottish Gaelic to “shaking your clothes,” pulled from old waulking song traditions, and the track really does sound like repetitive movement turned into music. It sounds like getting dressed early in the morning before leaving the house while the sky is still grey outside.
Andy’s Bar comes in softer. It starts slow and gentle before opening up into something louder and fuller, like a pub slowly filling with people as the night goes on. You can almost hear glasses clinking somewhere in the background. Then Wizard in Glass shifts the album somewhere stranger. The harp sounds bright and boxed in at the same time, like sound bouncing around inside mirrors or trapped inside glass walls. Everything feels enclosed.
Hygge gives the album room to breathe. The track feels warm in a very simple way, like collapsing into a bean bag while somebody you love rests against you and neither of you says anything. Even the lyrics feel soft around the edges. The Old Hag of Galway closes the first half with this light uneven movement to it. It sounds like somebody walking away down a road with a small skip in their step.
Dearg Dué opens the second half in complete darkness. Built around Irish vampire folklore, the track mixes eerie harp melodies with heavier rock sections and tablas rolling underneath everything. The song sounds like it builds itself around the image of, “roses bloom where blood was shed.” Wet earth, ruined stone walls, flowers growing out of places where terrible things happened long ago.
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Best Bang Since the Big One feels huge and restless. The percussion keeps moving constantly while the flute stays at the center of the track, guiding everything forward through all the noise around it. The Willow Maid opens with beautiful flute work before turning into something more frantic. It sounds like running through a forest at night while branches scrape against your arms and footsteps follow somewhere behind you.
The Harp Has Been Drinking feels loose and messy in a fun way. The uneven timing and wandering melodies sound exactly like somebody tipsy trying to make it home after a long festival night. Then We Are Dancer closes the album spinning. The track pulls traditional dance rhythms apart and reshapes them into something modern and dizzying. It really does sound like the kind of song you’d spin around in circles to until you lose balance.
And this is still only a small part of what the album has inside it. What makes 2 stand out is how naturally all these people and sounds come together. Every track feels like another doorway opening into a different story, place, or piece of folklore. One moment you’re inside crowded pubs, then deep forests, then old myths covered in blood and flowers. Even with so many collaborators and moving parts, it doesn’t feel disconnected and keeps this feeling of people gathering together to build something loud, strange and emotionally alive.
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Disclaimer: This release was brought to you by a promotional campaign by the artist, PR, or management label.
Figuring out my path while actively plotting ten others. Serious about my dreams with somewhat chaotic ambition. Will do anything for cats.
