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
Jimmy Whelan
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching the sunbeams as evening drew nigh
'Twas onwards I rambled and I spied a fair maiden
A weeping and a wailing with many's a sigh
For one who is gone and now lies lonely
Lonely for one no mortal can tell
Her deep roaming waters roll swiftly around him
(Chorus:)
Oh Jimmy she cried now don't go and leave me
Don't go and leave me here for to mourn
take me oh take along with you darling
Down to your grave and the cold silent tomb
My darling he said you are asking a favour
That no mortal on earth could grant onto thee
For death is the dagger that has torn us asunder
And wide is the grave love between you and me
For tis oft times you walk by the banks of the river
My spirit will watch you to guard and to keep
There will I hover and ever fly over
To protect my darling from the cold silent tomb
One fond embrace love and then I must leave you
One loving farewell and then we must part
Cold were the arms that encircled around her
And cold was the form she pressed to her heart
Then slowly he rose from the banks of the river
Up to the skies he then seem to go
Leaving this fair maid by the side of the water
A weeping and a wailing with many's a sigh
(Chorus)
The song "Jimmy Whelan" by Karan Casey is a poignant lament about lost love and the pain of death. The lyrics describe a scene where the singer comes across a young woman weeping by the river. She is mourning the loss of her beloved, Jimmy, who has passed away and now lies buried in the ground. The song captures the deep sense of sorrow and longing that the woman feels for her departed love, as she begs him not to leave her and asks to be taken with him to the "cold silent tomb."
Throughout the song, the singer speaks in a somber tone, reflecting on the inevitability of death and the finality that it brings. The chorus, with its repetitive plea to "take me along with you," underscores the idea that death is an all-consuming force that can separate even the closest of lovers. Despite the sadness of the song, however, there is also a sense of hopefulness present in the imagery of the river and the idea that the spirit of the departed might still watch over and protect the living.
Line by Line Meaning
One evening of late as I went a walking
The singer is recalling a specific evening when they were walking.
Watching the sunbeams as evening drew nigh
The singer was enjoying the sunset.
'Twas onwards I rambled and I spied a fair maiden
The singer kept walking and saw a woman.
A weeping and a wailing with many's a sigh
The woman was crying and sobbing loudly.
For one who is gone and now lies lonely
The woman is grieving for someone who has died.
Lonely for one no mortal can tell
The woman is feeling a deep sense of loss that cannot be fully communicated to anyone else.
Her deep roaming waters roll swiftly around him
The woman is near a body of water that seems to be connected to the person she is mourning.
And the grass it lies green over young Jimmy's grave
Jimmy, the person the woman is grieving for, is buried in a green grave.
Oh Jimmy she cried now don't go and leave me
The woman is addressing Jimmy directly and pleading with him not to leave her.
Don't go and leave me here for to mourn
The woman does not want to be left alone with her grief.
take me oh take along with you darling
The woman is so distraught that she wishes to join Jimmy in death.
Down to your grave and the cold silent tomb
The woman wants to be buried with Jimmy.
My darling he said you are asking a favour
Jimmy responds to the woman's plea for them to be together in death.
That no mortal on earth could grant onto thee
Jimmy states that it is impossible for them to be together because death is final.
For death is the dagger that has torn us asunder
Jimmy acknowledges that death has separated them.
And wide is the grave love between you and me
Jimmy is saying their love is bigger than the grave that separates them.
For tis oft times you walk by the banks of the river
Jimmy is speaking to the woman about times that she will recall him.
My spirit will watch you to guard and to keep
Jimmy promises to be a protector and a guardian.
There will I hover and ever fly over
Jimmy describes himself hovering over the woman.
To protect my darling from the cold silent tomb
Jimmy wants to protect the woman from the sadness of the grave.
One fond embrace love and then I must leave you
Jimmy has to say goodbye to the woman.
One loving farewell and then we must part
Jimmy is acknowledging that their parting is final.
Cold were the arms that encircled around her
Jimmy's embrace felt cold, like death.
And cold was the form she pressed to her heart
The woman is now alone, holding onto the cold memory of Jimmy.
Then slowly he rose from the banks of the river
Jimmy ascends to heaven.
Up to the skies he then seem to go
Jimmy's ascent is described as going up to heaven.
Leaving this fair maid by the side of the water
Jimmy leaves the woman behind by the water.
A weeping and a wailing with many's a sigh
The woman is left crying and sobbing once again.
Contributed by Alexandra T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.