A German musician has teamed up with some of Donegal’s leading traditional music exponents in a new CD in aid of Doctors Without Frontiers.
The resulting collaboration Healing Hands, featuring a range of sounds not normally associated with trad, will be launched later this month.
Harald Juengst, has been dividing his time between his native Duisburg in Germany and Ranafast in Co Donegal for the last 45 years.
He has become so well-established in the west Donegal Gaeltacht that he has even been given an Irish language epithet where he’s known as Harald Mór Juengst.
Mr Juengst has always had a great love for Irish traditional music and was involved in bringing Altan to Germany for their first ever gig there. He also delights in introducing new sounds to traditional music, playing the bodhran and cajon with several bands.
Five years ago, he enlisted some of Co Donegal’s leading musicians for a CD of Irish music to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders.
Also known as Médecins Sans Frontieres, the organisation works throughout the world to bring medical care to conflict zones and countries impacted by endemic diseases.
The new CD includes input from some of the north west’s top performers such as Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (Altan), Manus Lunny (Capercaillie) and Eamon McElholm (Stockton’s Wing).
“Unfortunately due to Covid, the finalisation of this production had been kept on hold for a good while," Mr Juengst said.
He has also introduced yet another new sound to the CD in the form of a “Hang” or Handpan” percussion instrument.
He said: “It was about five years ago when I came across a fairly new musical instrument called a Hand or a Handpan, which was invented in 2001 by a Swiss craftsman.
"It looks like a UFO or flying saucer and has got ten tone fields to play percussion, chords, melodies and improvisations with it.”
The result was a perfect “warm” blend with Irish music.
Healing Hands will be officially launched at well-known Donegal traditional music pub, Leo’s Tavern on July 27.
Copies of the CD are available at Juengst’s website – www.harald-juengst.com – with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders.
