IONA ® Recordings Buy on-line or download from Bandcamp (only Mid-Winter Light and Nutmeg & Ginger so far)

Mid-Winter Light IONA's latest! The first IONA album to include fiddler Jim Queen and dancer Kathleen Larrick (who both also sing) joining Barbara Ryan (vocals, bouzouki & bodhran), Bernard Argent (flute, whistles, doumbek & vocals), and Chuck Lawhorn (bass guitars & vocals). Mid-Winter Light is an EP of Celtic seasonal music, from Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and even England! 14 minutes. To learn more, see the liner notes & lyrics .

"Just finished listening to the Mid-winter Season CD. Just delightful. … now I want to pack up and come to your house for holidays imagining musicians floating about playing such wonderful tunes and songs with such flair and feeling. These tunes are inviting and create vision. I could even smell cinnamon buns cooking and oranges drying. Congratulations!"
- Louise Dunphy - Host/Producer, Celtic Crossings WMUA 91.1 FM.

CD  BP2009EP  $10.00			only available direct from IONA	or as a Digital Download HERE.

A Celebration of Twenty Released in May 2006 to celebrate IONA's 20th anniversary, it earned a WAMMIE as "Best Folk-Traditional Recording of 2006" putting it in the company of such artists as Bonnie Rideout, Al Petteway, Grace Griffith, Zan McLeod and Celtic Thunder. This is a double CD.  The first disk, New Growth, has 11 all-new tracks which for the first time feature the fiddling of Andrew Dodds as he joins Barbara Ryan (vocals, bouzouki, bodhran) Bernard Argent (flute, doumbek) and Chuck Lawhorn (bass guitar).  The second disk, Deep Roots, is a reissue of 15 tracks from the previous 5 albums all digitally re-mastered. Together the two disks offer a glimpse of the band which has evolved over two decades, but always stayed true to the spirit of Pan-Celtic music. Two disks - total 113 minutes. View the liner notes, lyrics & sound bytes.

"Seminal celtic groups such as Altan, The Battlefield Band and others have a well-deserved reputation. I believe Iona should be mentioned alongside these distinguished groups as Ryan, Argent, Lawhorn and Dodds are on a par with the best."
- Kevin McCarthy, 6/06 Kevin McCarthy's Celtic & Folk Music CD Reviews   Read the entire review

"...this is a rich and gorgeous – the only word – array of vocal and instrumental music...
[It] pushes further to explore the Appalachian reaches of Celtic music, with an appropriately jazzy syncopation to some of the tunes, which may even remind some listeners of the Red Clay Ramblers’... Andrew Dodd’s’ Scottish-style fiddling may remind you of Aly Bain."
- John McLaughlin - TheDigitalFolkLife.org

"...Their music flows and bends like the summer evening and makes for wonderful companion music ...  a celebration of 20 years of some of the best Celtic music that you will ever hear!"
- Paul MacArthur, Highlander Radio http://www.CelticRadio.net   Read the entire review

"...Iona's music is actually delightfully complex and multi-layered. At the same time, it has the pared-down elegant lines of Shaker furniture ... There isn't a weak recording on either CD... Iona's music reminds you why it's called "roots music." It's still alive and growing."
- Kestrell Rath, The Green Man Review   Read the entire review

"...they are, in no uncertain terms, the best traditional Celtic band working today. ... Just listen to [it] and try to tell me this isn't the flat-out-business when it comes to this kind of music... a spectacular release & mandatory purchase."
- Ray Dorsey, Chaos Realm (scroll down for the review).

"...The current lineup...may be its strongest, but it doesn't really matter where you enter the music... IONA sticks to music that makes it and its listeners leap to a rhythm."
- Pamela Winters, The Washington Post 7/21/06   Read the entire review

Branching Out The first IONA album with Chuck's amazing bass guitar, it continues IONA's pan-Celtic explorations, adding Cajun and even some clogging to the usual IONA mix of Scottish, Irish, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Galician, Asturian and Appalachian... Great piping, singing, fluting and percussion from Barbara Ryan, Bernard Argent, Bob Mitchell and Chuck Lawhorn with footwork by dancer, Susan Walmsley. 52 minutes. Released in 2003.

" ...one of the most sensational recordings of Pan-Celtic tunes ever! ... Thank you Iona for bringing us this remarkable Celtic musical journey!"
- Joanne Gagnon - Celtic Beat Magazine.
To learn more, see the liner notes, lyrics & sound bytes.

CD	BP7116CD	$16.00

Birken Tree The album where all the acoustic elements of IONA's approach really come together. Nick Smiley's mandolin, bouzouki & bass, Bob Mitchell's piping, Barbara Ryan's singing and Bernard Argent's fluting are all at their best. It continues IONA's pan-Celtic explorations, adding Appalachian and Asturian themes to the usual mix of Scottish, Irish, Manx, Welsh, Cornish and Breton. 48 minutes. Released in 2000.

To find out more, see the liner notes, lyrics & sound bytes.

CD	BP10101CD	$16.00

The Sound of IONA Taking its name from the stretch of water between the islands of Iona and Mull, the album features piping, harping, bouzouki, bodhran/doumbek duets and vocal harmonies. Traditional Scottish, Irish, Manx, Welsh, Cornish and Breton plus an original song by Loralyn Coles. The same IONA with some very new ideas from the line up of Barbara Ryan, Bernard Argent, National Scottish Harp Champion, Mary Fitzgerald, and world class piper, Bob Mitchell.. with guest appearances by Abby Newton on cello and legendary Breton singer Nolwenn Monjarret. 51 minutes. Released in 1998

" ...produced with extraordinary craft...instrumental prowess and vocal ingenuity."
- Mike Joyce, The Washington Post. Read the whole review
" For a good musical meeting of Celtic nations Sound of Iona is tops."
- Art Ketchen - Celtic Beat Magazine. Read the whole review
Please review the liner notes, lyrics & sound bytes

CD	BP4853CD	$16.00

Nutmeg & Ginger IONA's Celtic Winter Solstice celebration. Tunes and carols from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Cornwall, Brittany and Galicia are woven together vocally and instrumentally. With guest performances by U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, Elke Baker, on two of the tracks. Barbara Ryan, Bernard Argent, and Diana McFadden. 49 minutes. Released in 1996

"The arrangements are elegant and spare...and the three part harmonies pretty and precise...In short this is an album for those interested in a traditional variation on Yuletide."
- Mark Jenkins, The Washington Post. Read the whole review
"...one of the most delightful seasonal recordings in recent memory."
- Dave Sleger, CelticMusic.Com (Read the whole review)
What a perfect Chrismas present!
Please review the liner notes/sound bytes

CD	BP4651CD	The CD is Discontinued but Digital Downloads are Available HERE.

Holding Our Own This is the fourth IONA recording and the first on CD. Released in 1994, it features the blending of Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Cornish and Breton music which has become IONA's hallmark. Barbara Ryan (vocals, guitar, Bodhran), Bernard Argent (flute, whistles, doumbek), and Diana McFadden (mandolin, cittern, cello) with a guest appearance of piper Bob Mitchell (who joined the band three years later). 47 minutes.

"Dedicated to preserving and reinterpreting traditional music of the Celts, Iona's Barbara Ryan, Bernard Argent and Diana McFadden collectively serve as a stepping stone between the past and the present....a winning combination of verve and soulfulness" - Mike Joyce, The Washington Post
See also the review by Lyn Ryder
or review the liner notes

CD	BP9811CD	Discontinued We will be offering digital downloads soon.

Back to Our Roots The third IONA album (released in 1992 and no longer available) earned wide acclaim from both critics and fans.

"The singing is clear and strong, the accompaniments skilled and subtle, and the tape overall ambitious in scope and impresssive in execution....I recommend it highly." - Steve Winick, Dirty Linen,
Please review the liner notes

Cassette only	BP1092CS	Discontinued

To order send check or money order in $US payable to IONA (please add $2.50 for shipping) to:
Barnaby Productions, Inc.
P.O. Box 11160
Burke, VA 22009-1160, USA

Or to buy on-line go to IONA's secure on-line store

The local CD manufacturer with a national reputation among independent artists (including IONA)

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Last Modified: November 11, 2009 - IONA
IONA is a registered Service Mark of Barnaby Productions, Inc.