A song penned by Irish musician, Hozier, has gained even further significance following the release of its accompanying video featuring Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan, this weekend.
Cherry Wine, which appeared on the 25-year-old artist's self-titled 2014 album, depicts a woman coming to terms with the complex reality of her abusive relationship in a video which has amassed considerable publicity in recent days.
Commenting on the relevance of both the lyrics - written from the perspective of the abuser - and the heartwrenching video which accompany them, Hozier explained: "Domestic violence is an ongoing issue in our society, the statistics of which are shocking and the effects of which damage whole families, communities and span generations."
Raising awareness of a matter which knows no class, race or socioeconomic boundary, Hozier continued: "With the song Cherry Wine, I tried to get across the difficulty of coming to terms with and facing up to domestic violence and the dynamic of an abusive relationship."
In a move which reflects the artist's genuine concern, it has been established that the star's record label is planning to donate their respective proceeds from downloads of the song to a number of international domestic abuse charity organisations, all of which seek to provide support to victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
Equally invested in spreading the important message, 21-year-old Saoirse said: "I hope through the video and song we can shine light on the issue and complexity of domestic abuse and in doing so help those caught up in the cycle of domestic violence."
The video has, unsurprisingly, been meet with much support since its release, with one YouTube user writing: "Not a word is spoken and yet the entire message lies wide open on the screen."
"The real question is why do women bear that pain inside or at all?" she wrote. "Perhaps this will once again raise up the conversation and come up with answers to empowering women, and men for that matter, to stand up in order to disempower abusers." (sic)
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