Irish singer-songwriter Karan Casey has been blazing a trail in music for over 25 years. A lover of ballads, love songs and searing social justice songs, she has toured the world, connecting with audiences via the stories of Ireland’s past, but crucially repositioning women and songs in a universal and modern setting.
Always fond of a good yarn, Karan is striking out and exploring new areas in spoken word and theatre, as well as performing on the piano.
She has released eleven albums as well as contributing to numerous other artists’ projects – appearing on more than 80 albums so far – and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Japan, performing with her own band as well as collaborating with diverse musicians such as Maura O’Connell, James Taylor, Bela Fleck, Boston Pops Orchestra, Kate Ellis, Niall Vallely, Pauline Scanlon, The Chieftains, The Dubliners, Peggy Seeger, Karen Matheson, Mick Flannery, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Tim O’Brien and Solas.
In 2018, Karan helped found FairPlé, which is an organisation aimed at achieving fairness and gender balance for female performers in Irish traditional and folk musics.
Karan tours with her band Niamh Dunne, Sean Óg Graham and Niall Vallely.
Hieroglyphs That Tell the Tale produced by Donald Shaw, was released on the Vertical Records Label and her song ‘Down in the Glen’ was nominated for Best Original Folk Song at the RTÉ Folk Awards in 2019. She achieved a PhD in music at the University of Limerick in 2019. Karan’s first theatre show I Walked into My Head, directed by Sophie Motley, was premiered at the Kilkenny Arts Festival 2021. 2022 saw Karan collaborate with composer Harry Escott on a version of the Irish ballad ‘Grace’ for the film Ali & Ava.
Karan’s new album Nine Apples of Gold was released to great critical acclaim in February 2023. It has received extensive radio play on both sides of the Atlantic reaching No 1 on the US Folk radio charts for the month of March.
Karan’s new stage show about women in the Irish revolutionary period The Women, We Will Rise will be premiered at The Everyman in Cork in September 2023.