They are contemporaries of fellow Celtic artists Enya and Clannad; however, Iona's works are also influenced heavily by jazz-fusion, prog-rock and ancient Christian themes.
For Iona's 1990 debut album, the band added: drummer Terl Bryant, bassist Nick Beggs (former bassist of Kajagoogoo) and several studio musicians -- Fiona Davidson (Celtic harp), Peter Whitfield (strings), Troy Donockley (Uillean pipes) and Frank Van Essen (tuned percussion). The self-titled album received very little press, even in their home country, though a Dutch network compiled a documentary based on Iona, the band and the island.
Two years later, Iona returned with "Book of Kells", and the album was praised by North American critics
as well as those of the British Isles. David Fitzgerald left in 1992 to pursue a degree in music and, as a result, Iona lost much of its jazz influences by the following year's Beyond These Shores. The group made up for Fitzgerald's absence, however, by inviting Robert Fripp to guest on the album. Both albums also featured former Kajagoogoo bassist/stickist Nick Beggs. A contract with England's Alliance Music led to "Journey into the Morn"; the album was released in 1996 in the U.S. and Canada, and was listed among the top five folk albums in Q Magazine's Year End Review. "Heaven's Bright Sun", a live album, came the following year, then "Woven Cord" in 2000, and "Open Sky" in 2001.
Their latest release, new to 2007, is called "The Circling Hour".
iona has been a Leipzig, Germany based postrock-band from 2005-2010 that now reemerges as The Yuki Rush. https://ionanoise.bandcamp.com/album/a-noise
There is also a Romanian experimental / hip hop band who also go by the name "Iona",
Bird Of Heaven
Iona Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lock Him in a cage of gold
Look again tomorrow
And He will be gone
Lock Him in religion
Gold and frankincense and myrrh
Carry to His prison
All the things that man has made
Cannot hold Him anymore
Still the bird is flying as before
Temple made of marble
Beak and feather made of gold
Bell and book and candle
Cannot hold Him anymore
Still the bird is flying
As before
The song "Bird Of Heaven" by Iona depicts the story of man trying to capture spiritual freedom and convert it into a religious structure. The lyrics refer to an elusive "Bird of Heaven" that man attempts to capture and lock up in a golden cage. The bird represents the purity of the spirit, and the cage symbolizes religion - the attempt to capture and make predictable something that is inherently free and unpredictable. Despite the seemingly perfect cage that man has constructed, the bird continues to fly free as before, unable to be contained.
The verse "Lock Him in religion, Gold and frankincense and myrrh, Carry to His prison, But He will be gone" speaks to the futility of attempting to contain spiritual freedom within organized religion. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were presented to the baby Jesus as symbols of his royal and divine status, but in the context of the song, they represent the material trappings of religion that man uses to attempt to control the spiritual.
The imagery of the temple made of marble, beak, and feather made of gold, and bell, book, and candle highlights the artificiality of man-made structures and symbols in the face of the natural and unpredictable freedom of the spirit. The bird of heaven represents the divine spark within each person that cannot be contained by religion or societal norms. The song encourages us to embrace the freedom of the spirit and not to try to contain it within human constructs.
Line by Line Meaning
Catch the Bird of Heaven
Attempt to capture the divine presence of God
Lock Him in a cage of gold
Attempt to confine and control the divine presence of God
Look again tomorrow
Expect the divine presence of God to persistently evade capture and confinement
And He will be gone
The divine presence of God can never be fully grasped or contained
Lock Him in religion
Attempt to confine and control the divine presence of God through strict adherence to religious practices and beliefs
Gold and frankincense and myrrh
Religious symbols of wealth and sacrifice that are unable to truly contain the divine presence of God
Carry to His prison
Perform religious rituals in an attempt to confine the divine presence of God
But He will be gone
The divine presence of God cannot be fully confined or controlled by religion or religious rituals
All the things that man has made
All human-made objects and constructs, including religion, are insufficient to fully capture or comprehend the divine presence of God
Cannot hold Him anymore
Human-made objects and constructs are unable to control or fully comprehend the divine presence of God
Still the bird is flying as before
Despite all attempts to confine and control the divine presence of God, it remains free and uncontained, just as it always has been
Temple made of marble
A grand structure built to house religious practices and beliefs
Beak and feather made of gold
Symbolic representations of the divine presence of God that are unable to truly capture or contain it
Bell and book and candle
Religious symbols of prayer and ritual that are unable to fully comprehend or control the divine presence of God
Contributed by Nathan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@pinocarella_00
Ma che bello questo album!! Grande band!
@timturner36
Just heard an old podcast with Dave Bainbridge and Neal Morse! A great talk regarding Dave's early years and the beginning of Iona.
@fernandobreneszamora222
Oh porfavor que melodía🎸🙋🇨🇷
@pamjames2161
One of the most underestimated bands! I’ve listened to them when I was in my early 30s and still now today and I’m 61. Nothing compares to them! Thank you Iona for bringing me back to the beauty of God!
@aquacruisedb
Beyond These Shores album got me through some tough teenage times in 93, and just rediscovered it on youtube...sounds even better now than I remember it - sign of a timeless classic. Edge of the world is favourite
@soylentteal
If I was stranded on a desert island with only a choice few albums to take with me, BTS would be one of them.
@johannesaxelsson687
Same here
@wmccormack98
Joanne Hogg's voice is just incredible. So encouraged to hear Irish Christians voice their faith.
@stuarthopkins1308
Absolutely love this album and this song my favourite - kind of Clannad meets Hogarth era Marillion - gorgeous.
@soylentteal
Unbelievable percussion work on the opening instrumental passage by Terl Bryant. What talent.