From France to Ireland: A life rebuilt through traditional music
Léna Descottes, a 29-year-old traditional-music performer, once faced a period when the future looked uncertain and the nights felt long. Two and a half years ago in Ireland, she went through a stretch of sleeping in her car, couch-surfing with friends, and living in a way that pushed the boundaries of her independence and her pride. The turning point came after an apartment she had rented was turned into an Airbnb, leaving her with few practical housing options and a growing sense of precarity.
“I wouldn’t say that I was homeless because if I had called my parents in France, they would have given me money to stay in a hotel,” she recalls. “I didn’t tell them that I had been living on my friends’ couches and in my car.” The admission is painful but illustrative of the double-bind many artists suffer: a vocation that requires mobility, often without a safety net, and the stubborn pull to keep performing even when the cards are not stacked in your favor.
Why Ireland felt like home, even in hardship
Before she could drive, Descottes had begun visiting Ireland every summer, chasing every trad session she could find. Her love of traditional music began in her adolescence, influenced by cousins who performed Gwo ka and Bélé in Guadeloupe and Martinique. The moment she discovered Irish traditional music, she felt it resonate with a deeper call. After finishing a degree in art and performance in France, she decided to relocate to Ireland, first studying at the Irish World Academy in Limerick and then moving to Galway to immerse herself in the living tradition.
Inside Ireland, she found something both political and personal. She discusses a sense of safety she experiences there, particularly as a woman. “In Ireland you can be by yourself at night with an instrument worth thousands of euros on your back. There’s less sexual aggression toward women in these settings compared with France.” She notes the abundance of women who are now making a living in Irish music, a contrast to the more male-dominated sessions she encountered back home. The environment helped her not only to survive but to imagine a future that centered on her craft.
Reinvention and staying true to the music
After a period away from Galway to recuperate in Normandy, where she returned to familiar roots, Descottes realized that the freedom to reinvent herself was rooted in the music she loved. “Expressing myself in a novel language helps me shed parts of myself I didn’t like as a French person,” she explains. Ireland offered a space where she could confront her history and her trauma without the same cultural weight pressing down on her shoulders. The decision to stay wasn’t immediate but culminated in a pledge to build a life around what she loves: Irish trad sessions, teaching, and a growing performance presence.
A new life on the island of Inishbofin
Her journey took a dramatic turn when she met Colman King during a goodbye trip along the west coast of Ireland. Two weeks after arriving in Inishbofin, she called her parents with a bold statement: she wasn’t coming back. Today she shares a home with Colman and his family on their island farm, performing across the country while also turning to wool and craft work. Sheep rugs, knit from heritage-style wool, have become another channel for her artistry and a way to remain economically resilient in a place with limited access to traditional resources.
Island life, challenges, and resilience
Like many small communities, Inishbofin presents its own set of challenges. Descottes was diagnosed with a degenerative condition that requires dietary adjustments, and she spends part of each week traveling to the mainland to source specific foods. The costs add up, but she accepts them as part of a life that is not meant to be perfect, only authentic in its commitment to art and community. The rhythm of island living—its quiet lanes, casual sessions, and neighborly help—helps her maintain balance between performance, health, and personal well-being.
Continued music, continued growth
Descottes’ story is one of resilience and reinvention. She continues to tour Ireland, share her crafts, and keep the flame of traditional music alive, proving that a life rooted in passion can weather upheaval and detours. Her path—from France to Ireland, and finally to the island of Inishbofin—speaks to the power of music to reframe identity, heal wounds, and offer a fresh start when doors seem closed.
