Trim

Departing Galway on a sunny day, we drove the “cow path” looking roads to Clonmacnoise. The stonework of this 5,ooo year old monastery were remarkable to see. I have never seen as many Celtic crosses as I did in the graveyard. The stood dramatic and intense against the blue sky. Pope John Paul II had even visited this place. The giant carved crosses inside the information center were thousands of years old and in pretty good shape. Through the countryside we traveled to the outskirts of Trim. Our little “eco-car” unfortunately uses a good bit of gas even though it’s tiny… and we were suddenly riding with the gas light on. This made for a stressful few minutes. After entering historic Trim, I asked a local the way to a petrol station. The first time we actually got accurate directions in Ireland was this time thanks to the Lord. We pulled into the Cranmore House B&B through a flowery gate. No, the directions to the house were not correct but we finally made it. This place was a fantastic looking country house with a bright red door, vines scaling the walls, sheep in the fields, and two ponies out back… not to mention a very relaxing and picturesque garden area. The sky was blue with only a slight chill, but warm in the sun. The proprietor, Anne, suggested that we head down to Trim Castle right away and take the tour before the grounds closed. Great advice! Got lost a little on the way to downtown Trim (go figure), but found that searching for the castle became easier when we looked up. In the search we past by Kiely’s  Pub (distant relative?). I didn’t get a picture but man, there are Kiely’s everywhere. Parking outside the main gate of the castle we realized the massive size of the medieval structure. Inside the gate and in front of the massive keep, the tour guide told us that the grounds and the castle were used in the movie Braveheart. In fact, a lot of the movie was shot in Ireland. I remember seeing a sign around Glendalough that indicated some scenes were shot in nearny fields. Aside from seeing “the rack” that Mel Gibson was drawn and  quartered on, the castle itself was amazing. It is without a doubt 100% haunted btw. The English castle was a brutal place and the vibes are still within the walls. My camera malfunctioned and shut itself off as Liza was taking a picture of me by a gate area. The wind was blowing hard and cold. Even with the sun it was hard to stay too long. We headed back to the Cranmoore House to relax a bit. A good amount of photography, filming, and songwriting went on for a time. We were advised to check out Brogan’s Pub for supper as they did something called a stone grilled steak. Great old time atmospheric pub and the steak did come out on a heated stone that cooked it through as it sat on the table. Excellent cut of meat as all the meat I’ve had in Ireland was. Last night for a live music pub experience so we headed down the street to James Griffin’s Pub. We opened the door to low lit rooms filled with people as a traditional session was in full swing. There were seats available in the back so we were on to a pint of Guinness Peter the bartender was having quite a time with his associate Lydus who seemed to be a little slower functioning in carrying out his instructions. A lot of confused looks out of Lydus.. This provided great entertainment on this last night. I wish we could have stayed longer but had to wake up very early. I did enjoy talking to Peter and found out that he to is a musician and producer. A great part of the evening was when Peter told his partner to pour some drinks for the folks at the end of the bar. Lydus answered,”Who are the folks?” Peter snapped back, “The people! Those people down on the end.” This was some classic comedy and great for a laugh. We returned back to the inn and packed for the next days journey back to the states. It was an amazing trip of a lifetime that I hopefully be able to repeat again. Until next time Ireland….   

Ireland 2012- Dublin

Dublin 5/6/12

Landed early in the morning. Time traveling above the clouds & brought down to a waking dream landscape of unfamiliar ways and voices. After a sleepless night on a grand airplane with fantastic food (that’s right), we were ready to hop the airbus to the Trinity College area of Dublin. As the bus rolled along we past what seemed like ancient residences and unusual stores and markets under a non existent skyline…which was a welcomed sign. The bus left us off in an area that looked like something out of history books yet extremely massive and real. Cars and buses hurriedly rushing past as we trudged down the bumpy cobblestone street with suitcases in tow. The Trinity Capital Hotel was a sight to behold with it's exotic Victorian "world traveler" type theme. I didn't know if we were in Dublin or Morocco...seriously. Extremely large couches and chairs filled rooms of antique suitcases, rich colors, and a fusion of Eastern music in the background. Walking down the hallway to our room seemed like a mix of a fun-house of dark reds and blues and some sort of an abstract art museum with complimentary colorful themes every step down the hall. There was a fire station right out side our window several floors below. An occasional beep, honk, or page was heard but nothing major. Once "settled" and sorted out with Euros, we took a walk down to the Long Stone. This was an ancient looking pub with a sort of druidic Victorian China closet feel. The fish and chips were outstanding and the discovery of HP & brown sauce fascinating and delicious! The Asian waitress working in the Irish pub seemed strange as she was more interested in carrying on a conversation with another Asian fellow than pouring a nice pint for the other patrons... oh well, I'm in Dublin! We took a cab ride from an interesting and knowledgeable taxi driver shortly after. He gave us a bit of a history tour on the way to the Guinness storehouse. The cobblestone streets of the St. James Gate Brewery were singing a song of older days, sweat, and lore. The brewery location itself had become a grand museum with a 360 degree lounge atop. The lounge served as a tasting room (crowded one at that) and a great place to observe Dublin as a whole. A short walk down to the Brazen Head proved to be a great follow up. It's medieval structure retained an energy of spirits past and "spirits" present. The warm and cozy inside pub was filled with people jamming out to a traditional set of folk tunes. The outside open air bar proved to be a great place for people watching. Many would step out for a puff and break into song, and some just to grab a quick bite before the next set. We continued down the road moving through an interesting area that seemed as if it was out of the movie "The Butcher Boy". Two gangs of kids were pointing squirt guns at each other from across the street yelling and actually throwing rocks. They were throwing rocks at girls passing by and yelling, "Hit the hippie" at a college student walking by with a bit of an afro. We seemed to be spared as the main little ringleader looked at us and shouted, " Your fyne, your fyne!" as he held the other kids back. Still a few rocks whistled by as the little devil continued to scold a cohort in this weird cease fire in the rock war incident. It felt more like Belfast than Dublin. We traveled along the river Liffey to The Clarence, which is owned by Bono and the Edge. We stopped into the Octagon Bar inside The Clarence for a pint and to check this place out. Pretty pricey, as most things are in Dublin, but cool pub. I struck up a conversation with an older man from Cork. He gave me a good bit of advice on what to see, tipping, and whiskey. Very interesting all around...and yes, we heard that the Edge was there. The word is that Bono and the Edge sometimes make appearances in the pub. Apparently the Edge was taking a break from the family for a bit as we overheard on of the bartenders say that "Edgey was coming at 6". Down the road again we past through sort of a circus environment with pubs, restaurants, and loads of people called Temple Bar.This place was nuts and not for the "gentle folks" as our friend from the Clarence said. We had supper back at the Trinity Capital. It was very good but not traditional fare. Our very friendly waiter, John, talked to us for quite a while and planned on meeting us out at Temple Bar later in the night. We were beat on this first day but ventured out anyway. The pubs were massively insanely crowded and the streets felt like a big fraternity party as the next day was a "bankers holiday". Tired and dazed from an adventurous full day, it was time to finally sleep.

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This is Now - Tim Korry - Music Art

The last half of 2011 until now was consumed with writing and recording. The first musical adventure of sorts will be a retrospective & remix album called Strange Horses. The collection will contain several songs from the Music From Earth CD played live in the studio. This unreleased 2009 recording features musicians Tracy Graff on drums and Timmy Wolf from Rhinocerotic on bass. All songs were engineered by Neil Wargolet, also a former Rhino sound guy. These songs captured a moment in time after the release of Music From Earth in which we were playing some loud rock & roll shows focused on guitar, harmony, and drums. Other tracks on the album will be remixes from Between the Sun & the Moon that push more in the direction of the current electronic sound. I will be working with BTSM artist John Hansen on the album cover art. Currently I am meeting with new drummer Cliff McGrew (CMac) to discuss the direction of future live shows with the addition of sequencing. CMac has a great history of working with “drum & bass” DJ’swhile he was stationed overseas in Germany. We are looking forward to future live engagements with the addition of new people, instruments, and styles. I am currently working with a new music studio (Amp Productions) on mixing, recording, & mastering. Amp Productions will be assisting in remixing ‘9 Sticks’, affectionately called ‘James Stix’ due to it’s James Bond sounding strings and cinematic percussion. The next release will follow shortly after….