Arnsberg’s Muirsheen Durkin & Friends have been hammering out Celtic folk-punk since 2010, with bagpipes, AN OVERFLOWING stage and a T-shirt motto borrowed from The Skels. Their new album, Bunch Of Bastards, has been out worldwide since September 19th, eight years after 11 Pints & 3 Shots, with a green marbled vinyl edition out November 16th and a home-turf release party on November 28th We sent over a few questions, and Lanze, MacRünker and Kentop came back with Pogues confessions, a beer verdict nobody saw coming and a question of their own for us.

SnO: So who are Muirsheen Durkin & Friends? You’ve been at it since 2010, out of Arnsberg, with nine of you on stage and an “& Friends” list longer than the bar queue at a Pogues gig. How did it all start?

Lanze: It all started in 2007. I started making music again after a long break.

Long ago, I played in one of the first punk bands in the Sauerland region in the late ’70s and early ’80s, together with Kentop, our current drummer, and Lothar, our first bassist. Since I no longer wanted to play “pure” punk music—and I’m a huge Pogues fan—I switched to Irish rock.

In 2010, there was a major lineup change, and we’ve essentially been playing with the current lineup ever since.

We also wanted to set ourselves apart from other bands—specifically, the bagpipes and the large number of band members and friends. We’ve also noticed that, despite our large lineup, we’ve had hardly any turnover since 2010. People still seem to be having fun!

MacRünker: All I can say about myself is that I once played as the opening act for MD with my second band, Kings & Boozers. At that time, MD was still performing with its original lineup.

I then recognized the band’s potential… [laughter]… and immediately got along really well with Lanze, since we share the same taste in folk-punk music.

In addition, we share the same thirst—or rather, the same preferences for certain drinks.

Brothers in spirit.

I already knew Kentop from my time with Lady Godiva (1994–2006), my first band. He was our manager in those days.

Over time, most of MD’s original lineup broke up, and the band was supplemented with musicians from LG and K&B. Friends of the band—both fellow musicians and personal friends—joined as guest musicians on occasion.

Actually, it’s just a big circle of friends who play music together. Laughter…..

SnO: You’re named after the old emigrant ballad about the lad heading to California to dig for gold. Why that song, and has anyone in Hüsten ever pronounced it right the first go?

Lanze: No, not on the second or third try either. But when you’ve had a drink, it goes pretty well! And I just liked the name.

MacRünker: As Mr. Landsknecht already mentioned, he picked the name.

I was already familiar with the name—or rather, the song—from The Dubliners and The Pogues.

We even had it in Lady Godiva’s setlist back then. So the pronunciation wasn’t too hard for me.

But digging for gold and finding it isn’t such a bad thing either. 😉

SnO: Bunch Of Bastards is your first new record in eight years and your first on vinyl, green no less. What took so long, and which song in your catalogue best defines your sound: “Riot South Westfalia”, “Banned From The Pubs” or something else?

Lanze: We’re just a hobby band and don’t have any pressure from a label or anything like that. And we’ve also noticed that other bands in our genre have put out albums with really good songs, but also with so-called “filler tracks.” We didn’t want that. You just have to wait and see if, between all the drinking, someone comes up with something good—like our fellow MacRünker did with the melody for “Green and Honor”—that you can then build on. You can’t force something like that.

I mean, the album is very diverse, so no single song sets a specific direction. Maybe—if anything—“Green and Honor,” “Celtic Pride,” and “Sick of It All” come closest.

But compared to the first three albums, it’s probably turned out a bit more punk.

MacRünker: It took 8 years??? Really? It didn’t feel like that at all. Time flies by in an intoxication. 😉

We’re not all full-time musicians, so when it comes to recording or songwriting, other things can get in the way. Of course, we would have loved to release the album 2 or 3 years ago, but shit happens. Now we’re glad that our baby is finally out.

You’re asking about our sound? Which song best describes it?

That’s a tough one for me to answer.

Of course, we have role models like The Pogues or The Tossers. But our roots are also in punk, and for me especially in psychobilly and rockabilly. A little tip on the side: Kings of Nuthin!

Deep down, though, we’re all punks. Laughter…

And that’s the beauty of this kind of music. Folk and punk go together perfectly. You can hear the result on our new CD, “Bunch of Bastards.” Actually, Irish folk music is punk after all!

I’d name Sick of It All and Green and Honor.

SnO: You once released a song called “Pogues & Whiskey”, so no hiding it. How much do you owe Shane and the lads, and which other German Celtic punk bands should S’n’O readers be listening to?

Lanze: Well, without the Pogues, we wouldn’t exist as we do now—and neither would many other bands, for that matter.

So our thankfulness knows no bounds! MacRünker and I aren’t the only ones in the band who are big fans of the Pogues and Shane MacGowan. I wrote the lyrics to “Pogues and Whiskey” because it was simply time to express my gratitude, and because I’d also heard a melody from the ’30s that fit the song.

In Germany, there are a few bands we’re in regular contact with.

The Ceili Family, Distilerie Rats, Kilkenny Bastards, In Search Of a Rose, Rogues from County Hell, Kings & Boozers, Oakwood Paddys…..

At this point, I’d also like to briefly mention an American Celtic punk band.

I probably don’t need to mention that there are great Celtic Punk Bands in the U.S., but The Skels are one of my absolute top influences. “Any Port in a Storm” is one of the best albums I’ve ever heard and we’ve adopted their song “Have a Drink Ya Bastard” as our motto—it’s been emblazoned on the back of all our T-shirts ever since.

And at this point, all the best to S’n’O. As far as we know, it’s the biggest Celtic fan magazine in the U.S. and you’ve been around for over 25 years!!!!!!!! Or probably even longer.

Quick question: Does the name S’n’O have anything to do with James Joyce………..?

S’n’O: Sort of. We stole the name from an instrumental by the great London band Neck. Leeson of Neck did indeed get the phrase from Joyce. It was Joyce’s father’s favorite expression.

MacRünker: I first heard The Pogues when I was 16, while I was hitchhiking and someone picked me up on the side of the road. He had Rum, Sodomy & the Lash playing in his car. I was instantly blown away and knew that’s what I wanted to do, exactly that! It’s music that goes straight to your stomach, your legs, and your head. Music for young and old, music that caresses your soul and never lets go. The blend of traditional and modern instruments. The sound… wonderful. I think that without The Pogues, many bands in the genre—and of course us—wouldn’t exist. They opened the door; that’s why we exist. Thank you so much for that. “Sláinte mhaith!”

Which other German Celtic punk bands should S’n’O readers be listening to?

Lady Godiva and Kings & Boozers, of course. Laughter…. I guess there aren’t any other good bands in Germany…. or are there? 😉

I mean, I don’t think there are that many bands in Germany that play this kind of music… Laughter… Ha, ha, ha… Just kidding!

Well, I can only mention The Ceili Family. Really nice guys—I’ve known them since the late ’90s.

They have the same sense of humor as we do, and it’s always a great pleasure when we get to meet up and play together.

SnO: Soapbox: anything you’d like to say, and what’s next after 28 November? And a quick one to finish: Guinness or Murphy’s?

Kentop: We’ve also been invited by “The Destillery Rats” to return the invitation next January at the “Maschinenfabrik Heilbronn” for a larger two-day Irish folk-punk festival (featuring, among others, The Rumjacks), after they most recently performed at our annual “Irish Celtic Rock Night” in late November in our hometown of Arnsberg (the hometown of Germany’s current chancellor). And that brings us right to our outlook for next year! We’ll be playing a few great, larger festivals, such as the Wave Gothic Treffen in Leipzig, the Open Flair Festival in Eschwege, and the Spirit Festival in Loberg, each of which will have several thousand spectators. We’re also planning a new music video. 2027 is going to be another great year for us!

Lanze: Beamish! Or, alternatively, Murphy’s

MacRünker: I think we’ll start writing new songs again soon and thus shorten the wait for the next album to 4 years…. Laughter…….. Or guys???????

In any case, we’re planning a mini-CD with 5 songs for 2027.

Otherwise, we’ll just see what comes up. It’s just so much fun to play this kind of music, so I hope we can and will be able to keep doing this for a long time to come. For us, it’s always like a school class trip when we’re on the road, so we just don’t seem to get any older…. Laughter.

Guinness or Murphy’s?

Give me a bathtub full of Guinness and I’ll drink it all.

Alternatively, Beamish!

I love that black stuff (listen to “Celtic Pride”), so Guinness is definitely my favorite.

Delicious…………..

https://muirsheen-durkin.de/