How I got to see U2 in Croke Park...twice!

If you're a foreigner in Ireland, going to a U2 concert in their home town is the ultimate Irish experience.

You might be aware that the band has finally announced their concerts in Dublin in November. And if you read the news you probably learned that all the gigs were sold out in less than an hour.

I had the chance to see them twice in concert, and never had to queue for a ticket. I might be boasting a bit here, but really, I just got really lucky both times. I never intended to go to these concerts, mainly because I couldn't get myself to queue for hours or frantically look at a computer screen in the hope of securing a ticket. Even if I really like U2's music, I'm not that big of a fan to do that.

The first concert I went to was the Vertigo tour, in 2005. Fabrice was working in a hotel at the time, and one of the customers gave him two tickets for free. He was going on the Saturday and had spare tickets for the Monday.

The show was absolutely brilliant, but yeah, Bono talked A LOT and a good part of the gig was a platform to promote his RED charity. But when the band was playing, the atmosphere was just uplifting. Watching U2 play in their home country is something special, and you can feel it. The best part of the concert was the end. After the "encore", and once the stage lights were shut down, the band came back and sang a cappella. And they did it for a very Irish reason: to avoid traffic jams outside Croke Park.

I also went to the 360 tour in 2009. We were on holidays in Mauritius when the tickets went on sale, but without an internet connection handy, it was impossible to get any. A few days after we were back, I got this text from a friend:

"Hi, I queued all night on Grafton street to buy U2 tickets, and we were allowed 6 tickets per person, so I bought them. I thought you might be interested in going!"

Yes, I have a friend who loves queuing all night in the cold and rainy Dublin, just to buy concert tickets. And on top of that, she thinks of others. What more could you ask for? A cheap ticket, maybe...As a matter of fact, that's exactly what happened. Ireland was in recession at the time, and the band decided it would be a good idea to sell affordable tickets.

And that's how my friend could actually  buy 6 tickets, at 30 euros each.

This concert was even better than the one before. There was a lot less talking, and a lot more singing.

Technically it wasn't a 360 tour, more like a 280...

So what about the upcoming concerts? Well, my lovely friend wasn't in Dublin the day the the tickets went on sale (although before we knew the dates she offered to queue all night again!). She did try online though, but it just didn't work.

Unless a miracle happens like in 2005, I don't think I will go the Innocence+Experience tour. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter, I had the chance to enjoy U2 playing at home, and that's the dream of many foreigners in Ireland (and a few Irish people who don't despise Bono). 

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Breton connections

My mum is sending me about 20 kgs of Breton biscuits next week. You've read it right. In fairness, a lot of those biscuits are presents for my colleagues. They just love them and there's always a bit of excitement in the office every time I receive a package full of Breton delights. This time, it's the last one, so everyone at work will taste a bit of Brittany before I leave for good. They all have their favorite. One of the managers love the chocolate-orange biscuits, another one always ask for "brioche" and one of my colleague couldn't contain his joy when I told him he would get a kouing-amann (literally "butter cake"), or "Cholesterol bomb", as he calls it...

I love when my mum sends me food packages. The thing is, I don't actively look for anything Breton in shops around here (because I could be looking for months, really). I'm satisfied enough with what supermarkets have to offer, and I didn't come to Ireland to eat the same cuisine than at home (actually, I didn't come to Ireland for the food, that's for sure!). But I think it's nice to taste a bit of home once in a while.

Sometimes I get surprised by the Breton stuff I can find around though, and yes, I get very excited whenever I discover little bits of my country when I go shopping.

A few months after I moved to Ireland, I went to the off-licence and do you know what I found in one of the fridges? A Breton Camembert! In a place where they sell alcohol? Seriously? I got all excited about it (I don't need much, I know), until I spotted the price: 5.99 Euros! Clearly, it was the only Camembert they imported from Brittany to sell it at that price, or maybe it was branded as a luxury product, to eat with their finest French Red wine (It was the Celtic tiger era after all)... I didn't find out. I was just shocked and left. Without my beloved Breton Camembert.

5.99 euros for that??

Last year, in Dunnes Stores clothes section, I saw this striped shirt, a typical Breton fashion item. 

I thought to myself " That's funny, a Breton shirt in an Irish shop!" And then I looked at the tag:

 

 

I really think Dunnes Stores has someone on the inside who is either Breton or passionate about the region, because a couple of months ago, this is what I read in their leaflet :

The last line reads "Bretonne Baguette"

A Bretonne baguette?!! I was so intrigued I asked the manager of my local Dunnes Stores if he knew who could possibly have come up with that name. Unfortunately, I was told the bread was made by Cuisine de France and that they were just selling it. 
So I contacted them, but sadly, I was informed they didn't make that bread. Back to square one, I sent an email to Dunnes stores Customer Service but they never came back to me. So I guess I will never know...

Another Breton delicacy famous throughout the world is the "crêpe". Because my mum makes the best ones, and I also can make my own on the traditional bilig (crêpe maker), I can be very picky when it comes to taste.

At the Drogheda Maritime Festival two years ago, there were of course a few "crêpes" stands. I was pretty sure they used the same horrible mix for sweet and savory crêpes but I decided to try one, just for the craic, although I made sure to ask what type of flour was used ( At this stage, you must really think I'm a freak).

"Oh, don't worry, I use buckwheat flour. I'm from Northern Ireland but I was trained in Brittany, in a crêperie" the seller told me.

So I bought one and I have to say, it was delicious. I was about to leave when the guy hailed at me:

"Wait, I'll show you something"

He went to his car, and came back with that:
 

A Northern Irish crepe maker, who drives around with a Breton flag in the boot...

   
I knew Irish people liked Brittany, obviously because of the Celtic connection, but I didn't think that some shops would actually try to sell products branded as "Breton" or that Irish people would learn how to make crêpes. 

 

Maybe I should make a business of selling Breton biscuits in Ireland. Who knows, it might just work!

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The Irish connection

We're finally back. All of us, at last. 

On the way over, I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown. The plane was late, French passport control officials inefficient and I really thought I was going to miss my connecting train. Of course, one of the French passengers started to yell at the "gendarmes" saying the service was crap. And of course, they replied they didn't have enough staff to do the job. French administration in all its glory...

As I was waiting for the shuttle bus to the train station, I met a girl who was also coming from Dublin and going to the same town as me. She was from a village nearby my home town, was my age, also lived in Ireland for 12 years, and was married to a South African man. Talk about a coincidence!

The week-end was short but I managed to meet with a few friends and my  family.

My best friend told me she went to Sinead O'Connor's concert in Quimper the week before  and it was absolutely brilliant. I think she's coming to Dublin soon, so that might be an idea for a night out... 

My sister is also going to experience her share of Irish music soon, as she's going to see The Pogues at a festival in a small Breton town. She and her friends were wondering if Shane McGowan had his front teeth replaced... I can't tell, so I'm counting on her to let me know.

On an another musical subject, the Irish president Michael D.Higgins was in Lorient for the "Festival Interceltique". Each year, a country is honoured, and this year it was Ireland. Numerous Irish artists were present and I would have loved to attend, but unfortunately my stay was too short to be able to travel to Lorient. 

On Saturday evening, one of my cousins showed up at the house unexpectedly. Life is funny sometimes. Last May, I was gutted to miss my cousin's reunion and in the space of a month, I have met almost all of them at random. This time, one of them came to tell my parents he was going to Ireland for a week and wanted to pay us a visit. He didn't even know I was in France for the week-end...

During the conversation, he told me he came to Ireland for the first time in the eighties. He was hitch-hiking for 6 weeks and loved every minute of it. He was surprised to see farmers in their field, taking time out of their working day to talk to him and show him around. One of them even took a day off just to go fishing. He remembered the warmth and kindness of the people and wanted to show all that to his son, so he's coming back. Obviously Ireland has changed, but I think Irish people are still very friendly and can go out of their way to help someone or just talk to a tourist. That's what I love about this country.

The way back went a lot better than expected. I just learned I'm not allowed a buggy for a child who is over two years old. I will have to read Ryanair's rule book once more. Or is just Nantes airport staff pissing me off on purpose again? Anyway, they let me take the buggy free of charge -hooray!-

In the end, I had a great week-end in Brittany and strangely, full of Irish connections...

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Beautiful Ireland

My friends really enjoyed their holiday in Ireland. They stayed with us for the bank holiday week-end and then moved up North to Donegal until Friday, before flying out last Saturday. It was great to catch-up as I hadn't seen them for nearly two years.

They weren't too happy to leave, especially to go back to France and see "sad faces".

"What's different here?" I asked 

"Everybody is always smiling and helpful in Ireland, especially in the shops. In France, the shopkeepers barely greet you, and if you dare ask a question it feels like you're nearly bothering them"

"Really ? It doesn't really make me want to go to France on holidays..." 

Again, I think it's the little things that make this country so hospitable. My friends were delighted with their stay at the B&B in Donegal. The owner spoke French and had a house in Brittany (talk about coincidence). He was very helpful, told them about places of interest in the area, and even gave tablets to one of my friends who had a severe back pain during her stay.

They took great pictures and I thought I would share them with you because they really show the beauty of the countryside. When you live in a place for so long, you don't notice the landscape anymore, so it feels nice to look back and enjoy the view (but don't ask me where it was taken, I just know it was around Donegal!)

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I'm not really French

I've been lying all along... Sort of. Technically, I am French. I hold a French passport and I speak French. But I am actually Breton. You know, from Brittany, that region in the North West of France, there :

Of course, when somebody asks me where I'm from, I say France first, but I quickly add that I'm actually from Brittany and I feel I am Breton before being French.

Brittany is very similar to Ireland. We are both Celtic countries. Interestingly, most Irish people don't realise that we have similar music, dance, traditions, and even language.

This is the main reason why I came to Ireland, and probably the reason why it suits me so well.

The "Celtic" feeling" is not as perceivable in Dublin than in the West of Ireland, but if I need my fix , I just go watch Riverdance in the Gaiety Theatre and if I really miss Brittany I just get my mum to send me a lot of Breton biscuits (which are very popular with my Irish friends, I should start selling them..). If I have no biscuits left, I just go eat a Breton crêpe.

I'm just kidding, those supposedly Breton crêpes are just disgusting. 

I have my own crêpe maker at home, thank god !

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