Karan Casey (b. 1969 in Ballyduff Lower, County Waterford, Ireland) is an I… Read Full Bio ↴Karan Casey (b. 1969 in Ballyduff Lower, County Waterford, Ireland) is an Irish folk singer and jazz singer, and a former member of the Irish band Solas.

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

Just A Note
Karan Casey Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Just a note for the time is short dear
Hard is the work and long the day
But my fond heart will be with you Mary
Although you are many many miles away

Kiss the children for me Mary
Do not let them pine or grieve
Tell them I will be working for them

How our home I had to leave

Building dams in the fields and the factories
Moving concrete by the load
Tell them I will be with you Mary
When I am finished working on the road

(repeat first verse)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Karan Casey's song, Just A Note, depict a time when men were forced to leave their families behind and work in distant places for long hours. The song begins with a comforting note to Mary, reminding her that although the time is short and the work hard, his heart will always remain with her despite the many miles that separate them. The longing and emotional pain of being away from his family is conveyed in the line "Hard is the work and long the day".

The second verse speaks of the children, who he urges Mary to kiss for him, and not let them pine or grieve in his absence. He reassures them that he is working hard for them and that he had to leave their home to do so. The lyrics are reflective of the era of migration, and the hardship and sacrifices that some families had to make to survive.

Overall, the song is a heartfelt message of love, longing, and sacrifice, building a connection between loved ones who are separated by distance and challenging circumstances.

Line by Line Meaning

Just a note for the time is short dear
I am writing this letter to you Mary because time is limited and fleeting.

Hard is the work and long the day
The work that I am doing requires great effort and endurance, and the days are very long.

But my fond heart will be with you Mary
Despite the distance between us, my heart will always be devoted to you Mary.

Although you are many many miles away
Even though we are separated by a great distance.

Kiss the children for me Mary
Please give our children a kiss from me Mary.

Do not let them pine or grieve
Do not allow them to feel longing or distress because of my absence.

Tell them I will be working for them
Inform them that the labor I am performing is for their benefit.

How our home I had to leave
Explain to them the reason why I had to leave our home.

Building dams in the fields and the factories
One of my tasks involves constructing dams in various locations, including fields and factories.

Moving concrete by the load
Another duty I have is transporting large quantities of concrete.

Tell them I will be with you Mary
Assure them that, once my work is finished, I will be reunited with you, Mary.