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",
The Ancient Wells
Iona Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let us climb this hill in the footsteps of Patrick
Let us fall to our knees and worship with Your angels
Let us call out to You and declare Your holy word
Let us prophesy in every direction
That the ancient wells will be opened again
That Your kingdom will come, we'll have heaven on earth
And revival will fall, and we'll witness Your glory in this land
Let us take to the streets in the footsteps of those
Who surrendered their hearts to the High King of heaven
Let us reach out our hands to the sick and the needing
Let us carry your Glory in every direction
Let us drive out the snakes that have crossed our borders
They have hidden in the shadows but the darkness is retreating
Let us climb the high places declaring Your kingdom
Close the gates to the devil in every direction
Rain has fallen on the land,
Frozen deep within the ground,
Life has gone, the colour fades,
Heaven waits to hear the sound,
Worship rises like a song,
Life returns, the colour shows,
Rocks and concrete break apart,
Wells are opened and the water flows.
The lyrics to Iona's The Ancient Wells call upon us to take action in our worship of God. The song invokes the imagery of the ancient Celts, specifically St. Patrick, whose steps we should follow as we climb the hill towards God. When we reach the top of the hill, we must fall to our knees and worship with the angels, calling out to God and declaring his word. We are called to prophesize in every direction, with the hope that the ancient wells will be opened again and the river of God will flow, cleansing our land. We are promised that God's kingdom will come, and we will have heaven on earth, with a revival that will fall, allowing us to witness God's glory in this land.
The second half of the song urges us to take our worship to the streets and reach out to the sick and needy, carrying God's glory in every direction. We are asked to drive out the snakes that have crossed our borders and have hidden in the shadows. By climbing high places and declaring God's kingdom, and by closing the gates to the devil in every direction, we can truly worship God and help bring his kingdom to earth. The imagery of rain falling on the land and wells being opened and water flowing symbolizes a renewal of life and hope, showing us that our faithful worship and actions can have powerful and transformative effects.
Line by Line Meaning
Let us climb this hill
Let us move forward on our spiritual journey
Let us climb this hill in the footsteps of Patrick
Let us follow in the footsteps of the Irish saint, Patrick
Let us fall to our knees and worship with Your angels
Let us worship God along with His angels
Let us call out to You and declare Your holy word
Let us proclaim God's holy word
Let us prophesy in every direction
Let us speak God's prophecy in every direction
That the ancient wells will be opened again
Praying for God to open up the ancient wells and renew spiritual flow
That Your river will flow and this land will be cleansed
Praying that God's river will flow to cleanse the land
That Your kingdom will come, we'll have heaven on earth
Praying for the coming of God's kingdom on earth
And revival will fall, and we'll witness Your glory in this land
A revival will happen and God's glory will be seen in the land
Let us take to the streets in the footsteps of those
Let us follow in the path of the faithful
Who surrendered their hearts to the High King of heaven
Those who surrendered their hearts to God
Let us reach out our hands to the sick and the needing
Let us help those who are in need, such as the sick
Let us carry your Glory in every direction
Let us spread God's glory in every direction
Let us drive out the snakes that have crossed our borders
Let us remove sources of temptation that have entered our land
They have hidden in the shadows but the darkness is retreating
The evil sources that were hidden are disappearing as light shines on them
Let us climb the high places declaring Your kingdom
Let us proclaim God's kingdom while standing on high places
Close the gates to the devil in every direction
Block any openings for Satan to enter into our lives
Rain has fallen on the land,
It has rained on the land
Frozen deep within the ground,
The water is frozen deep within the ground
Life has gone, the colour fades,
Life has disappeared and the colors are fading
Heaven waits to hear the sound,
Heaven awaits the sound of our worship
Worship rises like a song,
Our worship rises up like a song
Life returns, the colour shows,
Life returns and the colors become vibrant again
Rocks and concrete break apart,
Rocks and concrete are breaking apart
Wells are opened and the water flows.
Wells have been opened and water flows from them.
Contributed by Penelope F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mike Robbins
Amazing! Iona truly anointed; the blessings will flow from the most unexpected place. praise God the outpourings at hand
Germanna
Que linda, Digo!