Bouaké (or Bwake) is the second-largest city in Ivory Coast, with a population of 536,189 (2014 census). It is the seat of three levels of subdivision—Vallée du Bandama District, Gbêkê Region, and Bouaké Department. The city is located in the central part of Ivory Coast about 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of Lake Kossou, the country's largest lake. It is approximately 350 kilometres (220 mi) north of Abidjan on the Abidjan-Niger Railway and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) northeast of Yamoussoukro, the capital of the country.
Bouaké is a centre for the Baoulé people and is known for its crafts. The economy is based on the cotton industry. The city largely grew from the 1970s after the construction of the power station at Kossou Lake flooded land to the west of the city. Bouaké is known for its large carnival and market and for the St Michael's Cathedral. The city has a large airport located north-west of the city with a 3,300 metres (10,800 ft) runway. Liverpool F.C defender Kolo Touré and his brothers Yaya Touré and Ibrahim Touré were born in Bouaké.
Mo chara is mo lao thu!
(My friend and my calf)
Is aisling tri nallaibh
(A vision in dream)
Do deineadh arir dom
(Was revealed to me last night)
IgCorcaigh go danach
(In Cork, a late hour)
Ar leaba im aonar
(In my solitary bed)
I remember you back in the GPO with Connolly and Clarke
Laughin' with McDermott through the bullets and the
sparks
Always with the smart remark, your eyes blazin' and
blue
But when we needed confidence we always turned to you
And when they shot our leaders up against Kilmainham
wall
You were there beside us in that awful Easter dawn
Hey, big fellah..........where the hell are you now
When we need you the most
Hey, big fellah..........c'mon
Tabhair dom do lamh
(Give me your hand)
Back on the streets of Dublin when we fought the black
and tans
You were there beside us, a towerin' mighty man
And God help the informer or the hated English spy
By Jaysus, Mick, you'd crucify them without the
blinkin' of an eye
Still you had a heart as soft as the early mornin' dew
Every widow, whore and orphan could always turn to you
We beat them in the cities and we whipped them in the
streets
And the world hailed Michael Collins, our commander and
our chief
And they sent you off to London to negotiate a deal
And to gain us a republic, united, boys, and real
But the women and the drink, Mick, they must have got
to you
'Cause you came back with a country divided up in two
We had to turn against you, Mick, there was nothin' we
could do
'Cause we couldn't betray the republic like Arthur
Griffith and you
We fought against each other, two brothers steeped in
blood
But I never doubted that your heart was broken in the
flood
And though we had to shoot you down in golden Bal na
Blath