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
The Fiddle And The Drum
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My dear Johnny my dear friend
And so once again you are fightin' us all
And when I ask you why
You raise your sticks and cry, and I fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum
You say I have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But I can remember
All the good things you are
And so I ask you please
Can I help you find the peace and the star
Oh, my friend
What time is this
To trade the handshake for the fist
And so once again
Oh, America my friend
And so once again
You are fighting us all
And when we ask you why
You raise your sticks and cry and we fall
Oh, my friend
How did you come
To trade the fiddle for the drum
You say we have turned
Like the enemies you've earned
But we can remember
All the good things you are
And so we ask you please
Can we help you find the peace and the star
Oh my friend
We have all come
To fear the beating of your drum
In Karan Casey's song "The Fiddle and the Drum," the lyrics express a message of peace and understanding while questioning the actions of America. The song's opening verse refers to "Johnny" as a metaphor for America, who is fighting against their own people. Casey confronts Johnny and asks why they have traded in the fiddle, a symbol of peace, for the drums, which represent war. Casey then pleads with Johnny and asks if she can help them find peace and a way to coexist with others.
The second verse also addresses America, using the same metaphor as before. It speaks of how America is fighting against everyone, and no one can understand why. Casey acknowledges that America has been earned some enemies, but asks if they can just remember all the good things they are and come to a peaceful end. The chorus then repeats itself about Johnny's choice to trade the fiddle for the drum, and how America has caused its friends to fear the beating of its drum.
Line by Line Meaning
And so once again
Starting over again
My dear Johnny my dear friend
Addressing a close companion
And so once again you are fightin' us all
Expressing frustration that the companion is fighting against everyone
And when I ask you why
Questioning the companion's motives
You raise your sticks and cry, and I fall
Using violence to avoid answering the question
Oh, my friend
Addressing the companion affectionately
How did you come
Asking how the companion got to this point
To trade the fiddle for the drum
Choosing violence over music and harmony
You say I have turned
Blaming the artist for the companion's actions
Like the enemies you've earned
Comparison to the people the companion has fought against
But I can remember
Recounting positive memories with the companion
All the good things you are
Acknowledging the companion's positive qualities
And so I ask you please
Requesting help to resolve the situation
Can I help you find the peace and the star
Offering to assist in finding peace and harmony
Oh, my friend
Reaffirming the companion's significance
What time is this
Questioning the current state of the world
To trade the handshake for the fist
Choosing violence over diplomacy and negotiation
Oh, America my friend
Addressing the country with affection
And so once again
Starting over again
You are fighting us all
Expressing anger towards the country's aggressive behavior
And when we ask you why
Questioning the country's motives
You raise your sticks and cry and we fall
Using violence to avoid answering the question
Oh, my friend
Reaffirming the country's importance as a friend
How did you come
Asking how the country got to this point
To trade the fiddle for the drum
Choosing violence over music and harmony
You say we have turned
Blaming others for the country's actions
Like the enemies you've earned
Comparison to the people the country has fought against
But we can remember
Recounting positive memories with the country
All the good things you are
Acknowledging the country's positive qualities
And so we ask you please
Requesting help to resolve the situation
Can we help you find the peace and the star
Offering to assist in finding peace and harmony
Oh my friend
Reaffirming the country's importance as a friend
We have all come
Acknowledging that everyone is affected by the country's actions
To fear the beating of your drum
Being afraid of the country's violent tendencies
Contributed by Caroline R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TheHarperDave
LOVE this. Something haunting and soulful about it. Very well done.
ancientfifer
Sustaining, haunting and heart rending. Beautiful performance.
Abigail Barletta
Just beautiful. Karan you are the best as always and Kate Ellis stunning :)
keyfeatures
Wonderful interpretation of an incredible song.
Tony Philpott
Message to naomheanna. I love this song too. But it's not Irish, nor Scots. It's Canadian. Written by Joni Mitchell. But, from Karen's performance, it does seem like it came from these islands. I don't know whether that's to Joni's credit, or to Karen's. Either way, this is a beautiful interpretation. A joy to hear.
B. Bailey
powerful, haunting
Rodd Garoutte
I love Kate Ellis' cello work with Karan Casey. It adds a completely different feel to "traditional" Irish music.
Susy Freelove
Great rendition of Joni's song! Love it!
Alan Stewart
One of the loveliest songs ever, to me.
Now integral to the repertoire of the 'Born on a Monday' choir in Adelaide, Australia
I
Beautiful! Took my breath... Best version ever! And unfortunately its subject is still very actual.