Her family encouraged her to sing in the house, in a church choir and at school. At Waterford Regional Technical College she studied piano then took music at University College Dublin in 1987. Having learned to copy Ella Fitzgerald's scat singing, she performed in a Dublin bistro several nights per week while still a student. At the Royal Irish Academy of Music she studied classical music and sang in a jazz band, then a folk-ballad band, then another jazz band. She also fell under the influence of Dublin folk singer Frank Harte. During this time she also formed her own band, called Dorothy.
In 1993 Karan moved to New York City. There she studied jazz at Long Island University. When she encountered Irish traditional music sessions in New York she started singing Irish traditional music again. During this time she mostly sang in bars and locals. For most of 1994 she sang with a group called Atlantic Bridge. At the end of the year she joined Seamus Egan and others in Solas. She sang five songs on their first album in 1996. In the same year she sang in Tramps club in Manhattan, accompanied only by a percussionist. They mixed jazz and folk. In 1997 she recorded a solo album, Songlines, inspired by the novel of the same name by Bruce Chatwin. It was produced by Seamus Egan and included several members of Solas. There were a few traditional songs and some contemporary folk songs.
In 2000 Karan collaborated with several other singers on "Seal Maiden - A Celtic Musical". It was a musical version of the film "The Secret of Roan Inish", designed for children. It concerns the mythical creature called the selkie - a seal-woman. Since then Karan has recorded three further solo albums released in 2001, 2003 and 2005. In a salute to her Celtic roots, several tracks were recorded in her native Irish tongue. She also features on the DVD "Solas Live".
Her 2005 album Chasing the Sun includes a number of songs Casey wrote herself. Her records are released by Shanachie Records in the United States and Vertical Records in Europe.
Karan is now living in County Cork, and is married to Niall Vallely, a composer and player of traditional Irish music.
Solo albums
* Songlines (1997)
* Seal Maiden (2000)
* The Winds Begin To Sing (2001)
* Distant Shore (2003)
* Chasing The Sun (2005)
Recordings with Solas
* Solas (1996)
* Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers (1997)
* The Words That Remain (1998)
* Reunion: A Decade of Solas (2006, CD and DVD)
As session musician
* Dancing at Lughnasa (film) (1998)
* Waking Ned Devine (film) (1999)
* "Celtic Solstice" by Paul Winter
Dunlavin Green
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A sorrowful tale the truth unto you I'll relate
Of thirty-six heroes to the world were left to be seen
By a false information were shot on Dunlavin Green
Bad luck to you Saunders, for you did their lives betray
You said a parade would be held on that very day
Our drums they did rattle - our fifes they did sweetly play
Quite easy they led us like prisoners through the town
To be shot on the plain, we first were forced to kneel down
Such grief and such sorrow were never before there seen
When the blood ran in streams down the dykes of Dunlavin Green
There is young Matty Farrell who has plenty of cause to complain
Likewise the two Duffys who were also shot down upon the plain
And young Andy Ryan, his mother distracted will run
For the loss of her darling, her only beloved son
Bad luck to you, Saunders, may bad luck never you shun!
That the widow's curse may melt you like the snow in the sun
The cries of the orphans their murmurs you cannot screen
For the murder of their fathers on Dunlavin Green
Some of our boys to the hills they are going away
Some of them are shot and some of them going to sea
Mickey Dwyer in the mountains to Saunders he owes a spleen
For loss of his brothers who were shot on Dunlavin Green
In the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight
A sorrowful tale the truth unto you I'll relate
Of thirty-six heroes to the world were left to be seen
By a false information were shot on Dunlavin Green
The song Dunlavin Green by Karan Casey is a powerful ode to the thirty-six rebels who were massacred on Dunlavin Green in the year 1798. The lyrics talk about the betrayal by one Saunders, who duped the rebels by telling them there would be a parade on that day. The rebels were surrounded by the British army and marched to the plain where they were made to kneel and were shot. The raw emotion in Casey's voice as she sings phrases like "the blood ran in streams down the dykes of Dunlavin Green" and "grief and sorrow were never before there seen" really brings home the magnitude of the tragedy.
The lyrics also describe the individual losses and the devastation wrought upon families. The lines "there is young Matty Farrell who has plenty of cause to complain" and "young Andy Ryan, his mother distracted will run for the loss of her darling, her only beloved son" allude to the sufferings of those left behind. The song is a poignant reminder of the atrocities committed in the name of colonialism and is an ode to those who lost their lives fighting for their freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
In the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight
This song is about an incident that occurred in 1798
A sorrowful tale the truth unto you I'll relate
The song is a tragic story that the singer will convey
Of thirty-six heroes to the world were left to be seen
36 brave individuals were killed in this event
By a false information were shot on Dunlavin Green
The individuals were killed because of false information
Bad luck to you Saunders, for you did their lives betray
The person named Saunders betrayed and caused the deaths of these individuals
You said a parade would be held on that very day
Saunders deceived the group by telling them there would be a parade
Our drums they did rattle - our fifes they did sweetly play
The group played music during the march to the location where they were killed
Surrounded we were and privately marched away
The group was surrounded and taken away in private
Quite easy they led us like prisoners through the town
The group was led like prisoners through the town
To be shot on the plain, we first were forced to kneel down
Before the group was shot, they were forced to kneel down
Such grief and such sorrow were never before there seen
The scene was filled with immense sadness and sorrow
When the blood ran in streams down the dykes of Dunlavin Green
The location where they were killed was soaked in blood
There is young Matty Farrell who has plenty of cause to complain
Matty Farrell has reason to be upset about the event
Likewise the two Duffys who were also shot down upon the plain
Two individuals with the last name Duffy were also killed
And young Andy Ryan, his mother distracted will run
Andy Ryan's mother is distraught and may be running away
For the loss of her darling, her only beloved son
She lost her son and was left with immense grief
Bad luck to you, Saunders, may bad luck never you shun!
The singer wishes bad luck upon Saunders and hopes he never escapes it
That the widow's curse may melt you like the snow in the sun
The singer hopes that any curse from widows will affect Saunders negatively
The cries of the orphans their murmurs you cannot screen
Saunders cannot hide from the sorrow of the orphaned children
For the murder of their fathers on Dunlavin Green
The children lost their fathers in the tragic event
Some of our boys to the hills they are going away
Some of the survivors are escaping to the hills
Some of them are shot and some of them going to sea
Some of the survivors were killed while others went to sea
Mickey Dwyer in the mountains to Saunders he owes a spleen
Mickey Dwyer is seeking revenge against Saunders for the death of his siblings
For loss of his brothers who were shot on Dunlavin Green
Mickey Dwyer's brothers were killed in the tragic event
Contributed by William D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.