Irish journey to NM: Singer-songwriter Karan Casey to make four stops in the state in support of 'Nine Apples of Gold'

Karan Casey is ready to perform four shows in New Mexico.

First, she has to travel from Ireland to London and then to New York City before she makes her way to the state.

“I am usually in the states three times a year,” Casey says during an interview from her Ireland home. “The stop in the Southwest will be my third tour this year, and I get to see my favorite part of the country.”

Casey is an Irish singer-songwriter who has been blazing a trail for over 30 years.

She describes herself as a lover of ballads, love songs and searing versions of social justice songs.

Casey has toured the world making deep connections with her audience, connecting via Ireland’s past but crucially repositioning women and songs in a universal and a modern setting.

She was among the vanguard of the Irish music revival’s “third wave” of the late 1990s, a founding member of the seminal Irish American band Solas before launching her solo career in 1999, and going on to record 12 albums. She has collaborated with a wide range of artists including James Taylor, Maura O’Connell, Karen Matheson, the Boston Pops Orchestra, Tim O’Brien, The Chieftains, The Dubliners, and Béla Fleck, among others.

She will make stops in Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Las Cruces on Wednesday, Nov. 1, Thursday, Nov. 2, and Friday, Nov. 3, respectively.

She will also perform at the Silco Theater in Silver City on Monday, Nov. 6.

Irish journey to NM: Singer-songwriter Karan Casey to make four stops in the state in support of 'Nine Apples of Gold'

Casey is touring in support of her recent album, “Nine Apples of Gold.”

“We will perform most of the album and then sprinkle in some of the older songs that are familiar with audiences,” Casey says.

For the tour, Casey will be joined by Niamh Dunne and Seán Óg Graham of the band Beoga (which was featured in Ed Sheeran’s “Galway Girl”).

As the co-founder of FairPlé — an organization created to achieve gender balance in the production, performance, promotion and development of Irish traditional and folk music — the empowerment of women is front and center of Casey’s music.

“I’m really lucky to be traveling with Sean and Niamh,” Casey says. “I love this trio, and we collaborate so well. I’ve written a lot of songs with Sean and we worked on the latest album together. It took us about two years to complete because the pandemic kept us off the road and we had time to reflect. It allowed me to have the time for reflection and the material became much stronger.”

Casey says she’s looking forward to traveling to New Mexico.

“I’m a big lover of jewelry,” she says with a laugh. “The shows will be early on in the tour, so I have to make sure to not spend too much. Maybe if I sell some CDs, I’ll get the opportunity to go shopping for some of the amazing turquoise and silver jewelry.”