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 Song of Wandering Aengus
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And cut and pealed a hazel wand and hooked a berry to a thread
And when white moths were on the wing and moth-like stars were flickering out
I dropped the berry in a stream and caught a little silver trout
When I had laid it on the floor, I went to blow the fire a-flame
But something rustled on the floor, and someone called me by my name
It had become a glimmering girl with apple blossom in her hair
Though I am old with wandering through hollow lands and hilly lands
I will find out where she has gone and kiss her lips and take her hands
And walk among long dappled grass and pluck 'til time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun
The Song of Wandering Aengus, written by famous Irish poet W.B. Yeats and later turned into a song by Karan Casey, tells the tale of a man’s journey to find a mystical, glimmering girl he saw in the hazel wood. The singer is led to the river where he catches a silver trout, but upon returning to his campfire, he hears someone calling his name. He turns around to find the same glimmering girl but with apple blossom in her hair. She disappears and the man decides to spend the rest of his life searching for her.
The theme of the song is about the pursuit of the ideal, the search for eternal love and the eternal quest for something unattainable. It also features the idea of a life journey, wandering through hollow and hilly lands as a metaphor for the journey of life. The imagery used in the song is vivid, with the white moths on the wing and the moth-like stars represents the wonder and mysticism of nature. The hazel wood and apple blossom in the hair are symbolic of the magical world where wonderful things can happen.
Line by Line Meaning
I went out to the hazel wood because a fire was in my head
I went to the hazel wood because I was restless and unsettled, with a burning desire within me.
And cut and pealed a hazel wand and hooked a berry to a thread
I cut and stripped a hazel branch, attaching a berry to a thread, with no specific purpose in mind.
And when white moths were on the wing and moth-like stars were flickering out
As white moths flew and stars were disappearing into the night, I was admiring the beauty of nature.
I dropped the berry in a stream and caught a little silver trout
I threw the berry in a stream and caught a small silver fish.
When I had laid it on the floor, I went to blow the fire a-flame
After laying the fish on the ground, I returned to tend to the fire.
But something rustled on the floor, and someone called me by my name
Suddenly, there was a disturbance and a voice that called out to me by name.
It had become a glimmering girl with apple blossom in her hair
The voice had transformed into a shimmering girl with apple blossoms in her hair.
Who called me by my name and ran and faded through the brightening air
The girl ran off into the brightening air, after addressing me by my name.
Though I am old with wandering through hollow lands and hilly lands
Despite having aged and spent a lifetime wandering through hollow and hilly landscapes.
I will find out where she has gone and kiss her lips and take her hands
I will search for her and when I finally find her, I will embrace her, kiss her and take her hands.
And walk among long dappled grass and pluck 'til time and times are done
We'll walk together in the long, dappled grass, picking and enjoying life together, for as long as time permits.
The silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun
Together, we'll enjoy the wonders of life under the sun and the moon, in all their glory.
Contributed by Lucas B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.