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
Town Of Athlone
Karan Casey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And wrapped ‘round her baby a shawl as she speaks
Of the passing of rings to the uniformed soldiers
The price of a ribbon their fortune to speak
Ah their fortune she speaks and she speaks of a river
Whose silvery barrows and moorlands beneath
Where a gun battle raged and the hero for Ireland
At the feet of the virgin in the grotto of Annah
She sings to her baby in old styles bequeath
As she lilts and laments and enchants all in hearing
With songs of her people and melodies sweet
(Chorus:)
Sweet silvery Nore river is rolling
Over an Irish soldier's grave
And the vestry bells are tolling
Over the ashes of his grave
In the freeborn land of the traveling people
Lies Nioclas Mullins the pride of Cullbawn
Yet unmarked beside him the bride of his union
Who carried our music in a black gypsy shawl
(Chorus)
The lyrics of Karan Casey's song "Town Of Athlone" tell the story of a young woman walking around the town, carrying her baby wrapped in a shawl. She speaks of the "passing of rings" to uniformed soldiers, where the price of a ribbon signifies their fortune. She also speaks of a river, the silvery Barrow, and the moorlands beneath it where a gun battle raged and an Irish hero died at her feet. She sings to her baby in old styles, laments, and enchants all who hear her with songs of her people and sweet melodies.
The chorus talks about the sweet silvery Nore river that rolls over an Irish soldier's grave, with the vestry bells tolling over the ashes of his grave. In the freeborn land of traveling people, lies Nioclas Mullins, the pride of Cullbawn. Beside him is the bride of his union, who carried their music in a black gypsy shawl. The lyrics depict the struggles and tragedies of the Irish people, their history, their music, and their land.
Line by Line Meaning
In the town of Athlone there's a young woman walking
A young woman is walking in Athlone
And wrapped ‘round her baby a shawl as she speaks
She is holding her baby close and speaks while doing so
Of the passing of rings to the uniformed soldiers
She talks about soldiers receiving rings
The price of a ribbon their fortune to speak
The ribbon they wear is a symbol of their value and status
Ah their fortune she speaks and she speaks of a river
She continues to talk about the soldiers and brings up a river
Whose silvery barrows and moorlands beneath
The river has shimmering sand and moorlands around it
Where a gun battle raged and the hero for Ireland
A battle occurred there where the hero of Ireland fought
Soon would lie down dead, dead at her feet
He died and she was there to witness it
At the feet of the virgin in the grotto of Annah
She stands at a grotto of Annah with the body of the hero
She sings to her baby in old styles bequeath
She sings to her baby in traditional styles
As she lilts and laments and enchants all in hearing
She sings beautifully and captivates all who hear her
With songs of her people and melodies sweet
She sings the songs and melodies of her culture
Sweet silvery Nore river is rolling
The Nore river continues to flow
Over an Irish soldier's grave
It flows over the grave of the fallen Irish soldier
And the vestry bells are tolling
The bells in the vestry are ringing
Over the ashes of his grave
They ring over the ashes of his burial site
In the freeborn land of the traveling people
In the land where people are free to travel
Lies Nioclas Mullins the pride of Cullbawn
Nioclas Mullins, a man of whom Cullbawn is proud, is buried there
Yet unmarked beside him the bride of his union
Next to him lies his wife, who has no marker on her grave
Who carried our music in a black gypsy shawl
She used to carry the traditional music of the community in a black gypsy shawl
Contributed by Sadie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.