Tony Cummings reports on a unique ensemble of Celtic-based musicians IONA.

Iona was, quite simply, the birthplace of Christianity in England.

After Joanne Hogg had joined the band Iona she too become absorbed with the fascinating history of the early church in Britain and the roots of Celtic spirituality.

"In the early stages of my involvement with the band Iona I hadn't really thought that much about it, it just seemed a good opportunity to work with very talented people that I admired and respected. I spent some time on the West Coast of Ireland in the summer and went back to the early places that Columba had sailed from. The place had an incredible atmosphere to it as well.

"But when we visited Durham Cathedral on the way to Lindisfarne David said to me, 'You should go in and see Cuthbert's tomb' I said 'I'm really not into burial places, I find them cold, and I really don't see why people have this respect for peoples remains. I wasn't into that at all. But I thought "right, I'll be open minded about it, I'll go.' I went to it, and just at the end of this burial place there's a prayer and it's a prayer that they say on St. Cuthbert's day. I have it on a card but the words on it are not particularly profound - but there was a little girl before me who knelt and said this prayer. She must have been about five. When I read the prayer, I thought - this man was in touch with God, he was a simple man he looked after the animals, the earth, and tended to the needs of the people around him. He really walked with God. The whole thing goes back, sort of way before all these divisions, it goes back to the very principle of the Christian faith in our country. It's a heritage that I think that most Christians know nothing about...and maybe by listening to our music people will begin to think a little about it."

Iona's debut album has just been released through Work (UK). Its sense of peace, and overflowing joy seem as far from the banality of conveyor-belt pop and the wall-of-noise angst of much rock as the islands of Lindisfarne and Iona are from Britain's turbulent inner cities.

It is Dave Fitzgerald's passionate desire that the album will communicate something very special. We're saying to people, enjoy our music, feel the Spirit of Christ in this and worship God through it. I think that's a little bit more wholesome than vaguely connecting ourselves to spirits and ghosts which happens with some Celtic influenced bands. And it's more wholesome than the nihilism of much thrash or metal.

"I grew up listening to Hendrix and I've seen Hendrix and Pink Floyd. I've also been through my own problems in terms of rock music, and the drug culture. It's not all doom and gloom, but I've seen so much destruction in music. I sat and almost wept over the Rolling Stones programme at Christmas and just looked at Brian Jones and Mick Taylor and these folks and I just thought, 'there's no joy in their lives, there's no truth in their lives, they're miserable, frustrated men right now who still haven't found any fulfilment.

"Thinking of heroes like Syd Barratt, who I adored when I was young, and Nick Drake, who I still listen to and weep over sometimes, I mean if you listen to some of that guy's songs there's such a purity of spirit in his youth, and he was so close to discovering that purity - because we all have it in our beings, because God put it there, yet finally not being able to link it up to the Truth.
Iona are trying to help people link it all up...find that purity...find that truth.