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
Erin's Lovely Home
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Till I relate of the hardships great a crossing over the sea
For the want of bread ten thousands fled so far across the foam
And left the land where they were born called Erin's lovely home.
Black forty seven I'll never forget when the fever it stalked the land
And the famine without mercy it stretched forth it's dreadful hand
There's many the child in cold death lay their parents they did mourn
My father, was a farming man reared to industry
He had two sons, they were men strong, and lovely daughters three
Our farm was too small to feed us all so some of us had to roam
With sisters two I bid adieu to Erin's lovely home
My father sold the second cow and he borrowed twenty pounds
And in the merry month of May we sailed from Sligo town
There were thousands more left upon the shore all anxious for to roam
And leave the land where they were born called Erin's lovely home
We were scarcely seven days at sea when the fever it plagued our crew
They were falling like the autumn leaves bidding friends and life adieu
Now the raging waves sweep o'er their graves, amidst the ocean foam
Our friends may mourn for we'll never return to Erin's lovely home
My loving sisters they both took ill and their lives they were taken away
And oh it grieved my heart full sore for to cast them in the sea
Down in the deep now they do sleep they never more will roam
But in heaven I'll meet with my sisters sweet from Erin's lovely home
Now I'm in the land of liberty where plenty it does abound
Where the labouring man gets full reward for the tilling of his ground
There's naught I can see that can comfort me as an exile I must roam
And end my days far far away from Erin's lovely home
"Erin's Lovely Home" is a sorrowful ballad by Karan Casey that tells the story of the Irish famine that struck Ireland in 1847, also known as the year of Black '47. The lyrics revolve around the hardships faced by the Irish people who were forced to leave their homeland, Erin, due to the scarcity of food and work. The first verse sets the scene by urging the listeners, the sons of Ireland, to listen to the story of the hardships faced by their forefathers while crossing the sea.
The second and third verses provide a personal account of the singer's father, a farming man who had to sell his farm animals and borrow money to sail from Ireland to America. However, the journey was far from smooth sailing as many people on the ship were affected by the fever, which took many lives, including the singer's sisters'. Still, the singer moved on to America, where they had to leave the land of their birth, Erin, behind forever.
The song emphasizes the struggles and sacrifices made by Irish emigrants who left their homeland to seek a better life in a foreign land. The lyrics also portray the sense of loss and longing felt by Irish diaspora who left their beloved country behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Come all you sons of Paddy's land and listen onto me
Attention all Irish men, please hear my story
Till I relate of the hardships great a crossing over the sea
Let me tell you of the great difficulties faced while crossing the ocean
For the want of bread ten thousands fled so far across the foam
Due to lack of food, thousands had to flee and cross the ocean
And left the land where they were born called Erin's lovely home.
They had to leave behind their beautiful homeland of Erin
Black forty seven I'll never forget when the fever it stalked the land
I can never forget the year 1847 when the fever spread throughout the land
And the famine without mercy it stretched forth it's dreadful hand
The famine brought with it a merciless and dreadful hardship
There's many the child in cold death lay their parents they did mourn
Many children died due to the harsh living conditions, causing grief for their parents
While the landlord's agents pulled down our roofs in Erin's lovely home.
The landlords' agents destroyed homes of the people of Erin
My father, was a farming man reared to industry
My father was a farmer who worked with diligence
He had two sons, they were men strong, and lovely daughters three
There were two strong sons and three lovely daughters in our family
Our farm was too small to feed us all so some of us had to roam
Our farm was not big enough to feed everyone, so some had to leave and find another home
With sisters two I bid adieu to Erin's lovely home
I said goodbye to Erin with my two sisters
My father sold the second cow and he borrowed twenty pounds
My father sold one of our cows and borrowed money to fund our journey
And in the merry month of May we sailed from Sligo town
In the delightful month of May, we set sail from Sligo town
There were thousands more left upon the shore all anxious for to roam
There were many others left behind on the shore, also anxious to leave
And leave the land where they were born called Erin's lovely home
They too had no choice but to leave their beautiful homeland of Erin
We were scarcely seven days at sea when the fever it plagued our crew
After only seven days at sea, the fever started affecting our crew
They were falling like the autumn leaves bidding friends and life adieu
People were dying rapidly, parting from their friends and life itself
Now the raging waves sweep o'er their graves, amidst the ocean foam
Their final resting place is beneath the ocean waves, with only the foam as a witness
Our friends may mourn for we'll never return to Erin's lovely home
Our family and friends can mourn as we can never return to our beloved Erin
My loving sisters they both took ill and their lives they were taken away
My dear sisters fell ill and passed away
And oh it grieved my heart full sore for to cast them in the sea
It pained me deeply to have to lay them to rest in the sea
Down in the deep now they do sleep they never more will roam
They now rest deeply in the sea, and will never wander again
But in heaven I'll meet with my sisters sweet from Erin's lovely home
But in heaven, I'll be reunited with my sweet sisters from Erin
Now I'm in the land of liberty where plenty it does abound
I am now in the land of freedom and opportunity with abundance all around
Where the labouring man gets full reward for the tilling of his ground
Here, the hardworking man is justly rewarded for his labor in cultivating the land
There's naught I can see that can comfort me as an exile I must roam
Unfortunately, I can find no comfort here and must wander as an exile
And end my days far far away from Erin's lovely home
And spend my remaining days, far away from my beloved Erin
Contributed by Riley G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Abigail Barletta
This song made me cry when I saw the legend live. She was stunning :D x
Abigail Barletta
GO KARAN!AMAZING!The vid could have done with more quality but she is my favourite singer! Read My Simon Says Fan Fiction and you'll find she has been put into one of the characters!
Alastair MacD
Terrific, but also see Transatlantic Sessions 4 (Bonus tracks ) for my fav. version.