IONA AND UNICEF IRELAND TEAM TO HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF MOTHER-TO-CHILD HIV/AIDS TRANSMISSION IN AFRICA

To Host Largest Movie Memorabilia Auction Ever

Waltham, MA. - February 27, 2001 -- IONA®, the leading e-business platform provider for Total Business Integration™ (NASDAQ: IONA), in support of UNICEF Ireland's 'Movie Action for Children,' will host the largest movie memorabilia auction in history at Sotheby's Auction House in New York on Tuesday, March 6, 2001.

'Movie Action for Children' (www.iona.com/movieaction) was announced in November of 2000 by international film-star Liam Neeson, a special patron to UNICEF Ireland, after he learned that a drug course costing less than $4 can dramatically reduce the risk of an African mother passing on the HIV virus to her baby. Over half a million babies are born with the virus every year, and have less than a one in four chance of surviving to their fifth birthday.

IONA's Chairman Chris Horn, who is heavily involved with UNICEF Ireland, learned of the cause and has pledged IONA's full sponsorship of the project. IONA's sponsorship ensures that all proceeds from the event go directly to UNICEF's on-going efforts to prevent Mother to Child HIV transmission in three African countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Ivory Coast.

Also responding to Liam Neeson's call to action, hundreds of Hollywood celebrities have donated items to be auctioned to raise money to help this fight. Highlights of items donated include:

  • The lightsaber used by Liam Neeson in "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace"
  • Mel Gibson's sword from "Braveheart"
  • Catherine Zeta Jones' stunning costume from "The Mask of Zoro"
  • The bullwhip used by Harrison Ford in all three of the "Indiana Jones" adventures
  • Julia Roberts' wedding dress from "The Runaway Bride"
  • A deck-chair and life-jacket from "Titanic"
  • And many more items from the likes of Tom Cruise, Glenn Close, Christian Slater, and Robert de Niro

"I have been amazed at the energy, commitment and goodwill that I've encountered from everyone behind this project," said Liam Neeson. "I have to particularly acknowledge Chris Horn and IONA. Chris traveled to Zambia to see the situation for himself last October, returned knowing that this project had to be made possible, and has arranged for the funds necessary to underwrite the project and ensure all proceeds go directly to the children."

"The generosity of Chris Horn and IONA is a disappearing phenomenon in today's business environment," said Maura Quinn, Executive Director of UNICEF Ireland. "IONA is an incredibly successful global company, and as its Chairman Chris Horn has many obligations. He has made 'Movie Action for Children' a priority however, and added to his busy schedule to ensure that this project is successful in its goal to stop the spread of HIV from mother-to-child in Africa. UNICEF Ireland extends our grateful thanks to Chris Horn and IONA, without whose generous support this project could not have happened."

"For many people, families are the most cherished parts of our lives," said Dr. Chris Horn, Chairman at IONA. "It is natural to assume we can love and educate our children, share our lives together, and eventually grow old with our families at our sides. Unfortunately, not everyone today can share this dream. We at IONA have spent the last 10 years developing information technology to help computers and software to work together, and through our contributions to UNICEF Ireland and 'Movie Action for Children,' we hope to promote the use of new medical technology to help people work together to prevent the tragedy of HIV/AIDS."

About IONA:
IONA is a leading e-business platform provider for Total Business Integration. IONA supports a diversity of languages, including Java and C++ and distributed computing technologies, including XML, SOAP, UDDI, EJB, J2EE, CORBA, Microsoft's Windows DNA 2000, IBM OS/390, CICS and IMS. Founded in 1991, IONA is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with US headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. The company had revenues of $153 million in 2000 and employs more than 800 people in 30 offices worldwide.

IONA, IONA Suite, iPortal Application Server, iPortal Integrator, iPortal OS/390 Server, iPortal SureTrack, iPortal XMLBus, Orbix, Adaptive Runtime Technology and Total Business Integration are trademarks or registered trademarks of IONA Technologies. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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