From France to Ireland: A journey toward music, resilience, and belonging
Two-and-a-half years ago, Léna Descottes (29) faced a turning point that would redefine her sense of home. After years of performing traditional music across Ireland, she found herself sleeping in her car and couch-surfing when a Galway apartment was converted into an Airbnb. Rather than return to France, she chose a path that would eventually deepen her love for Irish traditional music and the life she found on the west coast.
Struggle to stability, and the spark of a lifelong pursuit
Descottes had built a career around traditional tunes, touring venues and sessions. But the six months of sleeping rough tested her in ways she hadn’t anticipated. She notes, candidly, that she did not tell her parents everything at the time, choosing instead to endure the hardship quietly. It wasn’t a lack of talent that kept her from stability; it was a confluence of housing scarcity and the fragility of short-term arrangements that left a skilled musician in limbo.
Back to France, then back to Ireland in her heart
Returning to Normandy offered a chance to heal—lung issues and eczema from precarious living conditions underscored the toll of instability. Yet the pull of Ireland remained. Descottes had fallen in love with Irish traditional music as a teenager, inspired by cousins who danced to music from Guadeloupe and Martinique. The moment she could drive, she began ducking into sessions across Ireland, chasing the sounds that felt like home.
Finding safety, agency, and a community in Irish sessions
Her move to Ireland wasn’t just about music; it was about belonging. In Ireland, she found a culture where she felt safer as a woman, even in late-night settings with expensive instruments on her back. “In France, sexual aggression happens way more in France than in Ireland,” she reflects, underscoring how space and respect shape a musician’s willingness to participate in sessions. Descottes watched other women build a path in Irish music, territory she found less forgiving back home. The sense of opportunity to learn, ask questions, and be heard was transformative.
One decision, one island, one future
After a period of introspection, Descottes made a bold choice: stay and reinvent herself through Ireland’s trad scene. She began performing on the island of Inishbofin, off the Connemara coast, after a friend invited her to a session. The encounter proved pivotal: she met Colman King, who would become her partner and co-adventurer in this new life. The couple now shares a home on the island, where Descottes continues to perform and also ventures into sheep rug making, blending art with craft in a new economic model.
Island living, challenges, and a pragmatic dream
Life on Inishbofin is simple in some ways and demanding in others. Descottes has a degenerative condition that requires dietary adjustments, adding to the daily costs of living on a remote island. Shopping trips off the island can be expensive and time-consuming, highlighting the practical realities of choosing an alternative lifestyle. Yet the island offers something money can’t buy: a community, creative freedom, and a form of security she didn’t always feel in urban settings.
A future rooted in tradition, resilience, and community
Descottes’s story is one of personal reinvention through music and place. She returns to Brittany for brief stints but always finds her way back to Ireland, where she was first drawn to the language of traditional tunes. Her narrative is a reminder that the road to belonging may wind through hardship, but it can also lead to a life that fully aligns with one’s passions. As she balances performances, family life, and a growing craft business, she embodies a modern musician who refuses to abandon a dream—even when the path is rocky.
