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From Deutschland To Donegal

Eddie Creaney Talks To German Storyteller & Music Maker Harald Jüngst About 25 Years Of Success And His Love For The Emerald Isle.

Imagine this. It’s 1974. You make a trip to Germany just for the hell of it, a few days travelling, meet the natives, try the local delicacies, maybe even partake in a Weissbier or two. But having been there for a few days you suddenly realise that the central European country is something very special. Its traditional music has captured your senses. The power, passion and pure adoration of the local musicians is tangible. And you’ve fallen for it. “Right, that’s it” you think. “When I get home I’m going to learn how to play the instruments.” But it doesn’t end there. You need to study the culture, the people, the places and even the language. And in 25 years time you’ll have a second home in a Bavarian village where you’ll while away the hours playing tunes and telling stories around an open fire with the many local musicians who now welcome you as one of their own. Sound like fantasy? An impossible dream? Well, let’s swap things around. How about if the Birkenstock was on the other foot and it’s a German visitor falling head over heels for the Emerald Isle? Well, that’s exactly what happened for Harald Jüngst, the man from Duisburg in Germanys Lowland Rhine area now celebrating 32 years of association with Ireland and 25 years of success with his band Sheevón. And boy what a story he tells.

The mid-seventies was a tough time to be visiting Ireland with the Troubles, high unemployment, a weak economy and underdeveloped tourist amenities. But that didn’t stop thousands of visitors pouring in by plane, train and automobile. And it was the latter that many German guests preferred as their mode of transport as it meant the freedom of mobility on arrival. The BMWs, Mercedes and Porches drove off the ferry. And there, in the middle of the queue, was Haralds little Volkswagen complete with sleeping bag and tent which would be his humble means of accommodation for the trip. “At that time I was travelling extensively around Europe” says Jüngst, “I was exploring other peoples and places and Ireland was next on the list, though at the time I admit I didn’t expect anything special. So I made my way to Crookhaven on the west coast of Cork and then Castlegregory on the Dingle Peninsula in Kerry, and that’s where all began. I was very much impressed by the scenery and the easygoing and relaxed lifestyle of the people of the west coast. The hospitality, friendliness and interest towards me as a visitor were on such a high and positive level, which I never experienced before.” And having tasted the social dynamics of local pubs the German was bowled over by the songs and tunes on offer. “Irish traditional music touched my heart and mind immediately” continues Harald, “I thought it allowed us strangers, guests and visitors to join in even though we weren’t musicians or singers. Having had no real interest in my own traditional music I could instantly see the respect and enthusiasm that the Irish had for their musical culture. I was hooked.”

On return to Germany Jüngst purchased an acoustic guitar and bodhrán, and with the passion he’d stored from the trip, set about to conquer the same musicianship he had witnessed in the pubs of Cork and Kerry. Over the next few years he built up a repertoire of tunes and songs whilst studying Irish artists and the history of Irish music. And in 1978 fate presented itself in the form of a chance meeting with likewise musicians. “I attended a local wedding where I met a few guys who were disillusioned with the style of music they were playing” says Harald, “and I suggested that we get together and try out a few Irish tunes and songs.” It worked. And the newly formed band, all ex-Folk, Rock and Blues enthusiasts, developed into multi-instrumentalists by adding bass, mandolin, keyboards, bodhrán and tin whistle. They soon became a five-piece ensemble after they acquired a classically trained female violin player. Gigs followed and plans were made to record an album. This was 1981, and everything was falling in to place. “The band just kept growing” continues Jüngst “And before we hit the studio we were joined by a female vocalist and a County Armagh man living in Germany, Francis Rock, on vocals and tin whistle. We named the band after the German pronunciation of Siobhan, the Irish woman’s name.” And so the seed was sewn for one of Germany’s first Irish Trad bands, Sheevón.

25 years later and the band have become iconic for Irish music enthusiasts in Germany and further a field. And no wonder. Since those early days when the line-up was first established the band has went from strength to strength. Nine albums, tours all over Europe and countless individual projects don’t seem to have exhausted the group. Indeed this is reflected in the almost unchanged line-up over the past two and a half decades, which is currently Harald Jüngst (Bodhrán, Keyboards, Backing Vocals), Claus de Crau (Guitar, Lead Vocals), Bernd Herrmann (Bass, Mandolin, Backing Vocals), Eva Silvia Fechner (Lead Vocals), Conny Lesón (Fiddle, Shaker, Backing Vocals) and Eva Pauline Krause (Flute, Keyboards, Triangle, Backing Vocals).

“We recorded our first album Erin go Bra in 1982 and then toured in Ireland. It was our first time there as a band and truth be told we were a little apprehensive” says Harald, “Everybody knew we were not traditional musicians in the true sense of the word. But we were musicians who showed a lot of respect and interest for Irish culture. We did not try to imitate anyone and instead had established our own individual sound and rhythm, which was strongly influenced by our Classical, Rock, Pop and Blues backgrounds.” A shrewd move indeed. Sheevón’s tour was a hit, with an overwhelming response by audiences at all of the shows. Jüngst explains how they brought their new found vigour home to the German public. “When we started to play Irish music in Germany it was a novelty enjoyed mainly by a very few intellectual types in academic circles, and Sheevón’s mission was to bring it to the people. Not just the elitist classes, but to everyone. I’m sure at that time we played every venue and hole in the hedge imaginable.” Slowly, but surely, the band built up a keen following, whilst helping to promote Irish music in central Europe. All due credit to Sheevón for breaking new ground in such a prolific way and fertile manner. Fair play.

And the band will this year enjoy 25 years of success with a celebration planned in their hometown of Duisburg. Special guests for the show, which will be a celebration of the bands efforts over the years, include Colum and Ben Sands from the much respected Sands Family. There are more tours planned for 2007 plus a new DVD and CD to add to their album collection which already includes top-sellers such as Emotions (1987), A Long Road To Travel (1991) and Sláinte (2001). The bands commitment to the Irish tradition is something that’s evident on their recordings and through their live work. Sheevóns renditions of tunes such as Gravel Walk and Donals Trip To Dunlewy and the song Cóilín Phádric Shéamais prove that they have as much heart, talent and ability as any Irish artist in their prime. As RTE commented “Sheevón are as good as any number of Irish groups these days and can boast an understanding of what Irish music is all about.” A great testament indeed. Enjoy the birthday bash folks, it’s well deserved.

The interest in Ireland accrued by Jüngst doesn’t stop at musicianship. A well-respected media and broadcast journalist in his native country Harald currently hosts TV and Radio programmes in Cologne and Duisburg and is the first man approached for his wisdom on Irish music, politics, sports, tourism and culture. “Commenting on the 1994 All-Ireland Football and Hurling Finals for Eurosport was a great experience, as was the Irish Music documentary “Abair amhran- Give us a song” which I wrote for German TV” says Jüngst. “But my real love is Radio, presenting programmes on Irish traditional and folk music. Over the years I have had the pleasure of interviewing, recording and promoting artists such as Altan, Aoife ni Fhearragh, Sands Family, Skylark, Christy Moore & Moving Hearts, Paddy Maloney, Donal Lunny, Moya Brennan, Mary Black, Kieran Goss, Andy Irvine and Capercaillie.” Quite an impressive list for sure.

The German musician’s passion for other cultures has also taken him to some interesting corners of the globe. In addition to his many talents Jüngst is also a keen Storyteller. “I experienced storytelling, of course, in various kitchens and firesides in Ireland. I was fascinated by the stories of Finn McCool and Oisin and the Children of Lir” continues Harald, “and I translated and arranged those stories in German for a CD, which also included humorous stories about characters I met in Ireland and my own experiences, for the German market.” And his Storytelling has been brought to audiences in Ireland, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Slovenia. “I have also recently taken trips to Africa and to townships in Namibia. The children there are very receptive and delight in the stories. They had spent a year raising funds for my visit, and when I was presented with the total, 19 euros, it put everything in to perspective.” A ponderous moment indeed. And with Harald’s fund-raising actions for school children in Germany, Ireland and Africa it certainly restores ones faith that there are still good people out there.

And so to the future. Sheevón look as if they’ll continue to grace us with their wonderful style of tune and song. And for Harald Jüngst, the man who once journeyed the roads of Cork and Kerry looking for campsites to rest his head and pubs to feed his appetite for music and craic, life will no doubt continue at 100 miles per hour. And with a second home in the Donegal village of Gweedore I’m sure there’s always a chance of bumping in to the man on his way to a session at Huidi Beags in Bunbeg or for a seafood dish at the Skippers Tavern in Burtonport. Congratulations Herr Jüngst, on 25 years of success, and long may it continue.

Eddie Creaney
eddiecreaney@hotmail.com