"Celebration of Twenty"

IONA's 20th Anniversary CD

A Celebration of 20 ...years, that is. IONA has forged new directions in Celtic music since 1986. Having traced the roots of our ancestors, physically and musically, we’ve learned that some of the richest material is to be found on our own shores. Through evolutions of wonderful musicians and friends, all of whom have led our steps in more and more challenging directions, IONA continues to grow and prosper. This album is a thank you to all those who have enhanced and appreciated our music. What an incredible journey it’s been...
IONA in 2006 is: co-founders Barbara Tresidder Ryan (lead vocals, Celtic bouzouki, guitars, bodhrán and tambourine) and Bernard Argent (wooden flute, whistles, doumbek, vocals, shakers and bombarde) since 1986, Chuck Lawhorn (bass guitars, vocals and low whistles) since 2001, and Andrew Dodds (fiddle) since 2004; and was: Barbara Seymour, flute, whistles, guitar and vocals (1986 - 89), Alan Oresky, fiddle (1987 - 89), Diana McFadden, cello, mandolin and bouzouki (1991 - 98), Mary Fitzgerald, Celtic harp and vocals (1998 - 99), Bob Mitchell, Highland and Scottish small pipes (1998 - 2003), Nick Smiley, double bass, mandolin, bouzouki and vocals (1999 - 2001) Susan Walmsley (Hyams) on feet (2000 - 2004) and Ian Lawther, pipes great and small, concertina, whistles, clogging (2003 - 2004).

Disk 1 - NEW GROWTH

1. The Emigrant’s Song/Saltash/Kelenn(Holly Tree)Cornish trad 3:00

Thanks to Dalla, we found this song of an American returned to the homeland, which we sing in shape note style. Two traditional Cornish tunes evolve from the song, one a dance tune, the other a Christmas carol. View the lyrics.

2. The Ash Plant/The Bean Sídhe(Banshee)/Brenda Stubbart’s Reel (Jerry Holland)/Concertina Reel Irish trad/Cape Breton 3:54

Andrew’s Blazin’ at Beauly workshops in Scotland are treasure troves for our repertoire! He rips through this basically Irish set, joined by Bernard on a side trip to Cape Breton on Brenda Stubbart’s...

3. Laridenn/V'la le bon vent (It’s a good wind)/Lexie McAskill Breton/Québécois/Scottish trad 3:52

A Breton dance tune leads to a popular Québécois song accompanied by Barbara on bottine souriante (traditional foot rhythm), and culminates in a wild Scottish reel. The song, reputed to have been sung notably by lumberjacks, is of Breton origin. It describes how the naughty son of the king shoots a white duck on the pond belonging to the narrator, and was probably a children’s song based on political satire. We interweave the tunes to demonstrate their similarity: it’s what we do best! Chuck still wonders why his 5/4 bass line never quite matches up... View the lyrics.

4. When first I Went to Ireland (Lakes of Pontchartrain)/O’Keefe’s Slide/Lily of the West/Johnnie Cope Irish/American/Scottish trad 6:22

Sam Henry, a prolific collector of Northern Irish tunes, records a song that translated in Amerikay to one we now hear most frequently as Lakes of Pontchartrain, introduced here by Bernard as a waltz. Another offshoot traveled west where it evolved into the haunting song, Lily of the West, one that Barbara sang in her teens. Chuck gives the entire arrangement a bit of a jazzy blues beat: after all, we’re in America now! View the lyrics

5. She bosun dy row ayns Dover s’chie/Bachgen Bach o Dincer (Little Tinker Lad)/The Teapot Jig (Dick Lee) Manx/Welsh trad 3:31

An ancient Manx march precedes a Welsh song about a beloved tinker who for many years wandered through the land, doing his work cheaply and cheerfully, until one day he comes no more. The chorus is basically nonsense words that seem to echo an English song popular in the Victorian era, The Knickerbocker Line, which plagiarized the tune of the Welsh song. It’s probable that Welsh speakers parodied the English words that they imperfectly understood. Dick Lee’s Teapot Jig, actually a slip jig, seemed to fit in handily, after which Andrew plays with the time signatures of the march to lead us out of the musical maze we create. View the lyrics.

6. Campbell’s Farewell to Redcastle/Caber Fèidh (the Deer’s Antlers)/The Fourth Floor(Gordon Duncan) Scottish trad 5:02

Andrew starts out with a brisk march, often played as an Appalachian reel (Campbell’s Farewell to Red Gap) in A, and steps up the pace gradually to rip up and down the Fourth Floor, originally conceived as a pipe tune.

7. Foliada de Berducido/Nevado Esta (It’s Snowing)/Cantos de Arriero da Fonsagrada (Song of the mule driver of Fonsagrada)/Procesión del Inca Galician/Bolivian trad 6:20

In this unusual set, we seek to demonstrate the influence of the music brought by Galician and Asturian sailors from Spain’s Atlantic coastline, who crewed on the Spanish voyages of discovery, to Central and South America. Barbara sings the plea of a mule driver from a small town in the eastern mountains of Galicia to his mules to climb bravely up the mountains. We bracket the song with a Galician dance tune, the tune of a Bolivian song, and music from a cultural parade honoring The Inca, a statue or icon carried on the shoulders of villagers as they process. View the lyrics

8. Darby the Driver/Seallaibh Curaigh Eoghainn (Look at Ewen’s Coracle)/Haughs of Cromdale/Fiddles on Top (Andrew Dodds)/Bonaparte’s Retreat Irish/Scottish/Appalachian trad 4:32

Starting out on an Irish jig, we play around Barbara singing this Gaelic puirt-a-beul (mouth music) song as a jig, a strathspey and finally as a reel. Andrew duets on the strathspey, then comes in just before the end with a reel he wrote himself “on a train somewhere between Inverness and Glasgow a few years ago” Finally, we take off into a rousing Appalachian tune, introduced with bottine souriante accompaniment. View the lyrics

9. The Highwayman/Ev Chistr’ Ta, Laou (Have more cider, Bill)/An Alarc’h (The Swan)/To Mirth Inclined Irish/Breton/Cornish trad 3:22

When we arranged the Highwayman on Back to our Roots (our 1992 recording), we remarked on its similarity to the words of a Cornish song, and the tune of an ancient Cornish Christmas carol, not to mention a definite Breton influence. So we gathered up tunes of two Breton songs we’ve used on other recordings, and that Christmas carol, and combined them all in a puzzle we may never unravel. View the lyrics

10. Marquis of Huntley (William Marshall)/The Cross of Inverness/The Flowers of Edinburgh/The Scolding Wives of Abertarff Scottish trad 3:28

We call this the “of” set, since every title is from a specific place. Another of Andrew’s creations, this one leads from a stately strathspey, that most distinctive of Scottish dance rhythms, to a fiery reel.

11. The Real Old Mountain Dew/Maggie's Pancakes(Stuart Morrison)/Crossing the Minch(Donald MacLeoud) Irish/Scottish trad 3:58

IONA has performed this fine old drinking song all 20 years of its existence! This set is often our grand finale in performance: a fitting finish to this one on disc. View the lyrics

Total Running Time - 47:25

Disk 2 - DEEP ROOTS

1. Sally Gardens/Hills of Connemara (The Barnaby Song)/Willy Davie/Miss Girdle Irish/Scottish trad 4:05

Branching Out Barbara (vocals, bouzouki, bodhrán), Bernard (whistle, vocals/doumbek), Bob (Highland pipes), Chuck (bass guitar, vocals) View notes or lyrics

2. Fosgail An Daras Dhan Tàilleir Fhidhleir (Open the Door for the Fiddling Tailor)/Old Wife of the Mill Dust Scottish trad 4:14

Sound of Iona Barbara (vocals, bouzouki, bodhrán), Bernard (flute, doumbek, vocals), Bob (Highland pipes), Mary (Celtic harp, vocals) View notes or lyrics

3. Fare You Well/Saltón de Candamu Appalachian/Asturian trad 5:25

Birken Tree Barbara (vocals, guitar, tambourine), Bernard (flute), Bob (shuttle pipes), Nick (mandolin) View notes or lyrics

4. Came Ye O'er Frae France/Gavotten ar Menez Scottish/Breton trad 2:33

Holding Our Own Barbara (vocals, guitar, bodhrán), Bernard (flute, vocals), Diana (cello, vocals) View notes

5. Please to see the King/Gower Wassail Welsh trad 4:33

Nutmeg & Ginger Barbara (lead guitar, vocals), Bernard (flute, C whistle, vocals), Diana (mandolins, tambourine, vocals) and guest Mike Melchione (tremolo guitar) View notes or lyrics

6. Atholl Highlanders/Kesh Jig Scottish/Irish trad 3:20

Holding Our Own Barbara (bodhrán), Bernard (whistle), Bob (Highland pipes), Diana (cello) View notes

7. Lark in the Morning, Wild Geese at Night Words by Loralyn Coles, tune: Irish trad 4:10

Sound of Iona Barbara (vocals, guitar), Bernard (flute, whistle), Mary (Celtic harp) and guest Abby Newton (cello) View notes or lyrics

8. Qu’avez-vous, Oui, Belle Blonde?(What’s up, pretty blonde?)/ Ton bal Eured/Villancicu pixuatu/Salee de Llanes Cajun/Breton/Asturian trad 4:13

Branching Out Barbara (vocals, bouzouki, bodhrán), Bernard (whistle, tambourine), Bob (Highland pipes), Chuck (bass guitar, washboard) View notes or lyrics

9. Beth Ywr Haf I Mi/Llongau Caernarfon Welsh trad, words Capt. Glyn Davies 6:01

Holding Our Own Barbara (vocals, guitar), Bernard (flute), Diana (cello) and guest Elke Baker (fiddle) View notes

10. J'ai Vu Le Loup (I Saw the Wolf)/An Dros/Laridé French/Breton trad 3:10

Nutmeg & Ginger Barbara (vocals, bouzouki, bodhrán), Bernard (flute, whistle, doumbek), Diana (bouzouki, mandolin) View notes or lyrics

11. Donald MacGillavry/Paddy’s Leather Britches Scottish 5:34

Birken Tree Barbara (lead vocals, bodhrán), Bernard (guitar, vocals, doumbek), Bob (Highland pipes), Nick:(bouzouki, vocals) View notes or lyrics

12. Where are you Going/Aberdulais Cornish/Welsh trad 4:05

Birken Tree Barbara (vocals, bodhrán, shakers), Bernard (B♭ whistle, bombarde), Bob (shaker, Highland pipes), Nick (Low F whistle, acoustic bass guitar) View notes or lyrics

13. Laridenn/Dacw ‘Nghariad i Lawr yn y Berllan (There’s my Love Down in the Orchard) Breton/Welsh trad 5:40

Branching Out Barbara (vocals, bouzouki, bodhrán), Bernard (flute, vocals), Bob (small pipes), Chuck (bass guitar, vocals, low Dwhistle) View notes or lyrics

14. An Dro/Voici le Mois de Mai (the month of May)/ Laridenn (Sant-Karadeg) Breton trad 4:41

Sound of Iona Barbara (vocals, bouzouki, bodhrán, tambourine), Bernard (whistle, vocals, bombarde), Bob (pipes/chanter), Mary (Celtic harp, vocals) and guest Nolwenn Monjarret (vocals) View notes or lyrics

15. An Dros/Te Traa Goll Thie (Arrane Oie Vie)(It’s time to go home or Good night song)/When First Her Face I Seen Breton/Manx trad 4:18

Birken Tree Barbara (bodhrán, guitar, lead vocals, bouzouki); Bernard (flute, vocals), Bob (shuttle pipes), Nick (mandolin, vocals, low D whistle) View notes or lyrics

Total Running Time - 66:06

Thanks to: Beth Patterson for teaching Barbara bottine souriante and for finding the Manx tune we use; Martha Chavez who gave us the music of her country and helped so much with Cantos de Arriero da Fonsagrada; Brenda Lawhorn for her incredibly good care of the band; Iain MacFarlane for teaching Andrew the Concertina Reel, Ash Plant and Fourth Floor; Collier Hyams for his help with sound; Cheryl Mitchell, always, for her help with Welsh pronunciation; Mike Kearney, Jr., David Eisner and Mary Cliff, whose support has kept us going over the years; the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which has included IONA in its Touring Program for so long; and to all of you who’ve believed in IONA!
Engineering and mastering: Scott Shuman of Shuman Recording, Falls Church, VA
For arrangements from Holding Our Own: Engineering by Micah Solomon, and mastering by Dave Glasser at Air Show
Mix down on the Marquis of Huntley set and The Highwayman: Trevor Higgins
Photography, art and graphics production: Steven Parke/imagecarnaval.com
Produced by: IONA and Scott Shuman
Liner notes: IONA
Management by Barnaby Productions, Inc., P.O. Box 11160, Burke, VA 22009 703-426-1450

IONA ® is a registered service mark of Barnaby Productions, Inc. For bookings, please contact us through the web site or call Barnaby Productions, Inc. at 703-426-1450.