In case you haven't figured it out, "Rogha" is Celtic for "the best", OK? And it's pronounced "Rowa" in case you want to add that to your vocabulary.

Wonderfully balanced CD, and I'll comment only on my favorites. Okay, so twelve of the nineteen are favorites!

Newgrange: Tin whistle and all to introduce you to this collection.

Seachran Charn Tsiaisl, which translates to "The Tramp of Carn tSail" (He Courts a Beautiful Woman) Ah, I love Maire's voice even when I don't understand a word she's saying.

Ancient Forest: Close your eyes and you'll see the forest.

Something To Believe In: vocal by Bruce Hornsby

In Search of a Heart: Celtic/pop blend,

Buachaill on Eirne which translates to "Boy From Ireland" (Coaxing a Young Girl) and a tender type, wooing type, ballad.

Ta 'Me Mo Shui "I'm sitting, thinking" (By the fire, deeply in love) Maire Brennan at her very loveliest, voice wise.

Indoor: Curious name, not sure how it relates, but still a stirring piece of music.

Thios F'an Chesta: "Down by the Thios" Very traditional.

In A Lifetime: Maire and U2's Bono in a great duet, how could it be otherwise?

Theme from Harry's Game: This theme from a TV thriller made Clannad famous.

This CD will tell you little of Clannad's more recent output, but it does bring you the Celtic/jazz/pop meld that made them the well known group they are.

Mixed well, no choppiness, great music to do anything by. Let me experience Celtic flavor.

Wow, there must be more Clannad compilations than actual albums by now...

I was a big Clannad fan at the end of the 80's, and picked this up for old time's sake. I was already familiar with all the songs here, which I have on cassette.

It contains many of my favourites, but I have nevertheless a few gripes with this release. I feel that it gives a slightly skewed picture, being somewhat narrow in scope with regards to the selection of tracks. Only four albums are represented here, from Clannad's substantial discography, with the emphasis being upon two (which happen to be my personsal favourites), Magical Ring and Macalla. This is a 19-song compilation, but those two albums provide 13 of the songs, which seems a little over the top. Indeed, 60% of Magical Ring, and 70% of Macalla is to be found here, which must surely lessen the incentive in new fans to buy the actual albums, which would be a shame.

The compilers could at least have chosen a track or two from Fuaim, Atlantic Realm, and Anam, without straying far from the concept of showcasing this particular stage in Clannad's history. It would also give more of a notion of where they came from, and in which direction they headed after their decidedly dodgy album, Sirius.

I sometimes find it a better listening experience to re-programme the tracks in chronological order - it makes more sense that way. It seems silly to place Second Nature second, just because of it's name, and rather crude to follow the delicate beauty of Theme From Harry's Game, and The Fairy Queen, with the jolt into joviality that is Journey's End.

So, all in all, I would say that it isn't the best place to start, but of course the content is for the most part great stuff. There are superior Clannad compilations out there, certainly, and their classic albums, Magical Ring, and Macalla, shouldn't be missed.

This collection of 19 songs entitled "Rogha:The Best of Clannad" might sound like a comprehensive retrospective of their work but it is a bit of a misnomer. It actually only spans the years of 1983 to no later than 1987 during their "Sirius" album which makes this album more of a 'Sampler 1983-87' CD in my book.

That is not to discredit this album though. In fact, I think it's a marvelous collection of songs that strike a perfect balance between their more traditional pre-Magical Ring era and the Post-Sirius releases.

Some tracks like "Searchrain Charin Tsiail", "Ancient Forest", "Buachaill In Eire", are easily in the neighborhood of their early years and should satisfy those who aren't into albums like "Banba" or later.

Some like "Something To Believe In", "Second Nature" and "In Search of A Heart" are almost pure commercial pop with little Celtic instruments at all through but are still very enjoyable for those who really like late 1980s electronic pop.

My favorite songs on this CD are the sweeping epic "Newgrange", the spunky Irish pop of "Closer to Your Heart", "Ancient FOrest", "Second Nature" and "In A Lifetime" with U2 lead singer Bono.

Overall, Rogha is certainly a worthy purchase though the era it covers is very limited but it still covers a great diversity of material that Clannad came out with during the early to late 1980s.

I'm a huge fan of SOME of Clannad's work, mostly the traditional, celtic-inspired numbers, not the Irish-pop as much. This collection is a good sampling of their first wave of releases. Again, I would favor the traditional fare over the contemporary songs, but I like music that is done well, no matter what its genre. This should give you some idea of which of their earliest works to buy. Happy listening!