If you ask a French tourist what is the place he wants to visit the most in Ireland, he will undoubtedly tell you "The Connemara".
You might wonder why. After all, there are so many beautiful landscapes and sites to visit in Ireland so why do French people seem to be obsessed with the Connemara? A popular French singer decided, back in the eighties, to write a song about it. It's called "Les lacs du Connemara" (Connemara's lakes).
Initially, Michel Sardou wanted to sing about Scotland but his co-writer came back with a leaflet about Ireland instead. The singer thought it would be interesting to write about the conflict in Northern Ireland, but his friend refused (too risky probably) and showed him the movie "The quiet man". So they decided to write about an Irish wedding instead.
The song was an instant hit, and is still Sardou's biggest success with 3 millions singles sold by 1988.
I was a child when the song was released, but it was still played in night clubs when I was a teenager. I remember, it was always the last song of the night, and everybody was up on the dancefloor, singing along. It's probably the most famous French song about Ireland.
However, I have a major issue with some of the lyrics. Michel Sardou made me look like a fool when I came to Ireland and claimed that Connemara was a county. After all, that's what he sang: "From Tipperary, Bally-Connelly, And Galway, they arrived in county Connemara"... I was so sure to be right that I felt really stupid when I eventually looked at a map. So, thanks Michel, to make me look like a proper eejit.
If you want to enjoy and understand the song, you can watch the video and read the English translation. I've always wondered if the lyrics were reflecting some sort of reality, especially the part where Maureen dives naked in one of the lakes or the fact that they have the wedding in Limerick, and guests come from as far as Kerry...
Don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it!
| Terre brûlée au vent | Land burned by wind | |
| Des landes de pierre | Stone heaths | |
| Autour des lacs | Around the lakes | |
| C'est pour les vivants | It is, for the inhabitants | |
| Un peu d'enfer | A little bit of hell | |
| Le Connemara | Connemara | |
| Des nuages noirs | Black clouds | |
| Qui viennent du nord | Coming from the North | |
| Colorent la terre | Colour the land | |
| Les lacs, les rivières | Lakes and rivers | |
| C'est le décor | That's the landscape | |
| Du Connemara. | Of Connemara | |
| Au printemps suivant | The following spring | |
| Le ciel irlandais | The Irish sky | |
| Etait en paix. | Was peaceful | |
| Maureen a plongé | Maureen dived | |
| Nue dans un lac | Naked into a lake | |
| Du Connemara. | Of Connemara | |
| Sean Kelly s'est dit | Sean Kelly said to himself | |
| "Je suis catholique, | "I am Catholic | |
| Maureen aussi" | and so is Maureen" | |
| L'église en granit | The granite church | |
| De Limerick | Of Limerick | |
| Maureen a dit "oui" | Maureen said "yes" | |
| De Tiperrary | From Tipperary | |
| Bally-Connelly | Bally-Connelly | |
| Et de Galway, | And Galway | |
| Ils sont arrivés | They arrived | |
| Dans le comté | In the county | |
| Du Connemara | Of Connemara. | |
| Y avait les Connor, | There were the Connors | |
| Les O'Conolly, | The O'Conollys | |
| Les Flaherty | The Flahertys | |
| Du Ring of Kerry | From the Ring of Kerry | |
| Et de quoi boire | And something to drink | |
| Trois jours et deux nuits | For three days and two nights | |
| Là-bas, au Connemara | Over there, in Connemara | |
| On sait tout le prix du silence | They know the cost of silence | |
| Là-bas, au Connemara | Over there, in Connemara | |
| On dit que la vie | They say that life | |
| C'est une folie | Is madness | |
| Et que la folie | And that madness | |
| Ça se danse | Dances | |
| Terre brûlée au vent | Land burned by wind, | |
| Des landes de pierre | Stone heaths | |
| Autour des lacs | Around the lakes, | |
| C'est pour les vivants | It is, for the inhabitants | |
| Un peu d'enfer | A little bit of hell | |
| Le Connemara | Connemara | |
| Des nuages noirs | Black clouds | |
| Qui viennent du nord | Coming from the North | |
| Colorent la terre | Colour the land | |
| Les lacs, les rivières | Lakes and rivers | |
| C'est le décor | That is the landscape | |
| Du Connemara | Of Connemara. | |
| On y vit encore | There, people still live | |
| Au temps des Gaels | In the age of the Gaels | |
| Et de Cromwell, | And Cromwell | |
| Au rythme des pluies | With the rhythm of the rain | |
| Et du soleil | And the sun | |
| Au pas des chevaux | And horses hooves | |
| On y croit encore | They still believe | |
| Aux monstres des lacs | In monsters of the lake | |
| Qu'on voit nager | That are seen swimming | |
| Certains soirs d'été | Some summer night | |
| Et replonger | And dive back in | |
| Pour l'éternité | For an eternity | |
| On y voit encore | You still see | |
| Des hommes d'ailleurs | Men from elsewhere | |
| Venus chercher | Come to find | |
| Le repos de l'âme | Some rest for their souls | |
| Et pour le cœur | And a little more warmth | |
| Un goût de meilleur | For their hearts | |
| L'on y croit encore | They still believe | |
| Que le jour viendra | That the day will come | |
| Il est tout près | It's close at hand | |
| Où les Irlandais | When the Irish | |
| Feront la paix | Will make their peace | |
| Autour de la croix | Around the cross | |
| Là-bas, au Connemara, | Over there, in Connemara | |
| On sait tout le prix de la guerre | They know the cost of war | |
| Là-bas, au Connemara | Over there, in Connemara | |
| On n'accepte pas | They don't accept | |
| La paix des Gallois | The peace of the Welsh | |
| Ni celle des rois d'Angleterre... | Nor that of the Kings of England... |
Translation credits: GreatFrenchSongs
