John Murry documentary to premiere at Galway Film Fleadh

Mississippi native John Murry has announced the premiere of his documentary film at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh.

Scheduled to take place in Pálás Screen 1 on Saturday, July 15th; The Graceless Age: The Ballad of John Murry traces the story of the Longford-residing singer-songwriter’s struggle with addiction and fame.

The project was produced by New Decade, Screen Ireland, Canadian companies Hawkeye and Corrib Entertainment - directed by Sarah Share.

The musician was on the cusp of greatness after the release of his highly acclaimed album The Graceless Age in 2013 when his world fell apart. Addicted to heroin, creatively exhausted, he washed up on the shores of Ireland a broken man.

Now, he is ready to retrace his steps back to Mississippi into the dark heart of American life and face his demons – a difficult childhood, traumatic assault and resulting years of opioid addiction. This documentary follows John as he embarks on a road trip that takes him from his haven on the cliffs of Co. Clare, Ireland to his birthplace.

The film culminates with John travelling to Toronto to rekindle his creative collaboration with Canadian music legend Mike Timmins, who produced his album A Short History of Decay.This beautiful documentary charts his journey from near death to redemption and a new zest for life and art.

Uncompromisingly confessional to a stark and at times dangerous degree, John Murry leaves himself completely open to all doubt and fear as he navigates his own course.

Part road trip, part memory, part fever dream; John's journey back delves deep into his Southern past to reveal more about John, including him confronting his experience of sexual assault as a child, racism and control in The South and America, his relationship with and familial knowledge of William Faulkner (a relative through adoption) and his biological Native American family history and relationship with his own adoption into his family today, as well as ambiguously embracing and confronting other aspects of the duality of dark and light that his native home exudes.

Murry decamped to Ireland a decade ago. Originally from Tupelo, he released his debut LP, The Graceless Age, on Rubyworks back in 2013 to ecstatic reviews. The album was produced by John’s best friend and collaborator, the late Tim Mooney of American Music Club fame. It was recorded over a period of more than four years at Closer Studios in San Francisco.

The singer felt a natural affinity with Ireland, her much vaunted musical heritage and history when he visited on tour with the late Vanguard folk artist Bob Frank in 2007 in support of World Without End, their album of co-written and original murder ballads. He went on to take courses in San Francisco in the Irish Language and Irish history, never expecting to end up living there.

An artistic polymath, John has released a graphic novel (The Sea of Cortez, with illustrator Stephen Morton), is a constant creator of visual artworks and exhibitions, poetry, novellas, essays and graffiti. Two albums and several EPs followed; A Short History of Decay (2017) produced by Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) and his most recent album, 2021’s the stars are god’s bullet holes., produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey).

The tenth anniversary of The Graceless Age is being marked now by Rubyworks’ vinyl release of the album. With prompting from friends and collaborators, John was convinced to tour this album in full.

As John has mused, “What else am I going to do? This music stuff, this is not something anyone should do. Unfortunately, it is is who some of us are. Oh: and I am still here. Not dead. Not yet. Fuck it. I don’t know what it takes; maybe all I need is a gun and a megaphone…. I mean, as soon as you realise it’s all insane? It makes perfectly good sense. If you can’t join ‘em, kill ‘em… with lovely tunes and a feature film!’.

The band is made up of Josh McClorey, Conor Price, and Mick Cronin - featuring support form Niall McNamee, Scattered Ashes and Cronin. Get tickets for John Murry's dates in Galway, Limerick and Dublin here.