Bobby Sands
by Soldat Louis

es chansons des rues de Belfast
Ont le m�me parfum d'Irlande
Elles pleurent comme le ciel de Belfast,
Comme ont pleur�s les yeux de Bobby Sands.
Les chansons d'amour en Ulster
Font briller les yeux des filles,
Parfois oublier l'Angleterre,
Les militaires stationn�s pour la vie.

Les chansons de guerre � Belfast
Sont pi�g�es de haines farouches
Pour hurler � la gueule d'en face.
Pour eux, il restera toujours une cartouche.

Refrain :
Chantez plus fort, que le monde vous entende,
Jurez �A mort l'insolente!�,
Luttez encore, comme pour l'ind�pendance,
Aimez plus fort comme aimait Bobby Sands.

Toutes les chansons d'Irlande du Nord
Se souviennent d'une dame de fer
Qui s'�tait jur� d'les voir morts
Un passeport catholique bon pour l'Enfer!

Les chansons des pubs de Belfast
O� m�me la bi�re est militante,
L'ivresse �tant bien moins n�faste
Que l'arrogance de la classe protestante.
REFRAIN

Les chansons de cur�, en Irlande,
Ont quelques �mes � d�fendre.
Si pour les deux c�t�s, elles chantent,
Sans armes, elles savent, pas de miracle � attendre.

Les chansons des m�mes de Belfast
Sentent d�j� bon la col�re,
Pour que l'injustice n'ait plus sa place,
Les poingts serr�s avant le plastic du p�re.

REFRAIN

Chantez plus fort, que le monde vous entende,
Jurez �A mort l'insolente!�,
Luttez encore, comme pour l'ind�pendance,
Aimez plus fort comme aimait Bobby Sands.

Les chansons des rues de Belfast
Ont le m�me parfum d'Irlande;
Elles pleurent comme le ciel de Belfast,
Comme ont pleur�s les yeux de Bobby Sands.

This is a great song honouring the Britanny's language (breton). A translation would be too long (from breton into French and from French into English ! ), so I only translated the refrain (2 lines ! )


Brezhoneg' raok - Le cr�puscule du Breton
By Alan Stivell

Tud an Argoad ha tud an arvor
Tud diwar ar ma ezh ha tud ar ch�rio� bras
Tud Breizh izel ha tud an Naoned
Diwallit' ta mar plij, diwallit' ta

Hep Brezhoneg, hep Brezhoneg
Hep Brezhoneg Breizh ebet
Hep Brezhoneg, hep Brezhoneg,
Arrabat komz diwar benn Breizh
(Without the breton, there's no Britanny
Without the breton, let's cease talking about Britanny)

Mar c'hellit ket sell' dre ho toulagad
Mar c'hellit ket lar' dezhi "da garan"
Mar c'hellit ket lar' " va mab " d'ho bugel
Echu eo an abadenn da virviken

Da virviken ez a da vezan dall
Un dachennn gwell d'ar Gwirvoud, d'an Hollved
Un tamm muioc'h mac'hommet an denelzh
Gant an nerzh, an azarc'h

Have you heard of Gwerz?

From the Site of Oslo Irish Music Festival
The band Gwerz, which means "haunting ballade" in Breton, was founded in 1981 in Brittany.

They have had an international career which has taken the band to numerous festivals both in Europe and the US. Gwerz have recorded 3 albums, the last one live. In 1998, Gwerz have gone back to touring and playing at festivals: Lorient inter-Celtic festival, Edimburgh, Oslo Irish Music Festival...

The music of Gwerz is based on the "Gwerziou", a form of a cappella singing from the centre of Brittany: Breton music reinvented with talent by some of Brittany's most gifted musicians (Some of them have played in Alan Stivell's band!). The music of Gwerz is played on traditional Breton instruments such as bombarde, biniou, Breton pipes, as well as more contemporary instruments. The use of the violin, guitar, clarinette, and fretless bass gives to the music a more jazzy color, especially because of the presence of jazz guitarist Jacques Pellen in the band.

Here is a translation of the first song. I just wish my English translation were as good as the French text.

Slan go foill

Bobby Sands
by Soldat Louis

The songs of Belfast's streets
Have the same scent of Ireland
They cry, like Belfast's sky,
Like have cried Bobby Sands'eyes.

Love songs in Ulster
Get the girls'eyes shining,
Sometimes help forgetting England,
The soldiers stationed for a lifetime.

War songs in Belfast
Are trap with fierce hates
To shout to the other's face
For them, there will always be a cartridge left

Refrain :
Sing louder, so that the world would hear you,
Swear "Death to the insolent!"
Keep fighting, as for the independence,
Love stronger, as Bobby Sands did love.

All the songs of Nothern Ireland
Still remember some Iron Lady
who swore she would see them dead
With a catholic passport right to hell !

The songs of Belfast's pubs
Where even the beer is militant,
Drunkeness is still far less harmful
Than the arrogance of the Protestant class.

REFRAIN

Priests' songs, in Ireland
Have few Souls to defend.
Even though they sing for both sides,
Without arms, they know, there's no miracle to be expected.

The songs of Belfast' kids
Already smell good with anger,
So that injustice wouldn't have its place anymore,
Their fists before the father's plastic.

REFRAIN

Sing louder, so that the world would ear you,
Swear "Death to the insolent!"
Keep fighting, as for the independence,
Love stronger, as Bobby Sands did love

The songs of Belfast's streets
Have the same scent of Ireland
They cry, like Belfast's sky,
Like have cried Bobby Sands'eyes.
Like have cried the eyes for Bobby Sands.