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
Eppie Morrie
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Came from the Carron side
To steal away Eppie Morrie
Cause she wouldn't be a bride, a bride
She wouldn't be a bride
Then out it's came her mother then
It was a moonlit night
For the moon it shone so bright, so bright
The moon it shone so bright
They've taken Eppie Morrie
And a horse they've bound her on
And they're away to Carron side
As fast as horse could gang, could gang
As fast as horse could gang
And Willie's taken his pistol out
And put it to the minister’s breast
O marry me, marry me, minister
Or else I'll be your priest, your priest
Or else I'll be your priest
(Chorus:)
Haud away from me, Willie
Haud away from me
There's not a man in all Strathdon
Shall wedded be by me, by me
Shall wedded be by me
Then mass was sung and bells were rung
And they're away to bed
And Willie and Eppie Morrie
In one bed they were laid, were laid
In one bed they were laid
He's taken the shirt from off his back
And kicked away his shoes
And thrown away the chamber key
And naked he lay down, lay down
And naked he lay down
He's kissed her on the lily breast
And held her shoulders twa
But aye she gat and aye she spat
And turned to the wa', the wa'
And turned to the wa'
They wrestled there all through the night
Before the break of day
But aye she gat and aye she spat
But he could not stretch her spey,
He could not stretch her spey
(Chorus)
Then early in the morning
Before the light of day
In came the maid of Scallater
In gown and shirt alone, alone
In a gown and shirt alone
Get up, get up, young woman
And take a drink with me
You might have called me maiden
For I'm as whole as thee, as thee
For I'm as whole as thee.
Then in there came young Breadalbane
With a pistol on his side
O, come away, Eppie Morrie
And I'll make you my bride, my bride
And l'll make you my bride
Go get to me a horse, Willie
Get it like a man
And send me back to my mother
A maiden as I came, I came
A maiden as I came
(2 x Chorus)
The song "Eppie Morrie" by Karan Casey tells the story of a young woman named Eppie Morrie who refuses to get married despite the pressure from her family and community. A group of Highland men come to her house to steal her away, but her mother tries to stop them. Despite her efforts, Eppie is taken away on a horse to Carron side. Along the way, one of the men, Willie, threatens the minister with a pistol until he agrees to marry him and Eppie. They finally make it to their destination, where they spend the night together as a married couple. However, even though Willie tries to win over Eppie's affection, she remains resistant and unyielding. In the end, another man, Breadalbane, comes to take Eppie away, but she refuses to go with him and instead chooses to return home as a maiden.
The song is a traditional Scottish ballad that tells the tale of a woman who refuses to conform to societal expectations and instead chooses to remain independent. The lyrics celebrate her defiance and highlight the power of the individual to determine their own fate. The story also touches on themes of love, desire, and the struggle for independence.
Line by Line Meaning
Four-and-twenty Highland men
Twenty-four Highland men
Came from the Carron side
Arrived from the Carron side
To steal away Eppie Morrie
To abduct Eppie Morrie
Cause she wouldn't be a bride, a bride
Because she refused to get married
Then out it's came her mother then
Then her mother came out
It was a moonlit night
The night was illuminated by the moon
She couldn't see her daughter
Her daughter was not visible to her
For the moon it shone so bright, so bright
Because the moon was too bright
They've taken Eppie Morrie
They have abducted Eppie Morrie
And a horse they've bound her on
They have tied her to a horse
And they're away to Carron side
And they are on their way back to the Carron side
As fast as horse could gang, could gang
As fast as the horse could run
And Willie's taken his pistol out
Willie has taken out his pistol
And put it to the minister’s breast
And held it against the minister's chest
O marry me, marry me, minister
Please marry me, marry me, minister
Or else I'll be your priest, your priest
Or else I will become your adversary
Haud away from me, Willie
Leave me alone, Willie
There's not a man in all Strathdon
No man in Strathdon
Shall wedded be by me, by me
Shall marry me
Then mass was sung and bells were rung
Then a mass was sung and the bells were rung
And they're away to bed
And they went to bed
And Willie and Eppie Morrie
And Willie and Eppie Morrie
In one bed they were laid, were laid
They slept in one bed
He's taken the shirt from off his back
He has taken off his shirt
And kicked away his shoes
And removed his shoes
And thrown away the chamber key
And thrown away the key to the room
And naked he lay down, lay down
He lay down naked
He's kissed her on the lily breast
He kissed her on her chest
And held her shoulders twa
And held her two shoulders
But aye she gat and aye she spat
But she kept pushing and spitting
And turned to the wa', the wa'
And turned to the wall
They wrestled there all through the night
They struggled all night
Before the break of day
Before sunrise
But aye she gat and aye she spat
But she kept pushing and spitting
But he could not stretch her spey,
But he could not satisfy her
Then early in the morning
Then in the early hours of the morning
Before the light of day
Before sunrise
In came the maid of Scallater
The maid of Scallater arrived
In gown and shirt alone, alone
Wearing only a gown and a shirt
Get up, get up, young woman
Wake up, wake up, young woman
And take a drink with me
And have a drink with me
You might have called me maiden
You could have mistaken me for a maiden
For I'm as whole as thee, as thee
Because I am equally chaste as you
Then in there came young Breadalbane
Then young Breadalbane entered
With a pistol on his side
Carrying a pistol on his side
O, come away, Eppie Morrie
Come away with me, Eppie Morrie
And I'll make you my bride, my bride
And I will marry you
Go get to me a horse, Willie
Go get me a horse, Willie
Get it like a man
Get it like a brave man
And send me back to my mother
And take me back to my mother
A maiden as I came, I came
Like the maiden I was before
(Chorus)
Refrain
(2 x Chorus)
Refrain (twice)
Contributed by Adrian A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bobatkins9162
Karan has such a beautiful and distinctive voice,there is really no other singer quite like her.
@PadraigLiamOBraoin
Voilà Karan Casey ! Une fée de notre monde. Je n'ai pas trouvé son album "The Winds Begin To sing" mais vous pouvez entendre sourdre le Bodhran. C'est son coeur (croi), sa joie, sa peine, son étreinte...
@threethymes
Beautiful singing and arrangement.
@therandomegirl
theirs something about this song that just lifts my spirits up
@partygirl69734
she is wonderful :) x
@josefbruckner7154
Well done !
@Melrose1961
I love her.
@edwardtait4285
Classic!
@alleycat241
Lovely!!
@lladoner
greatest.................