A couple of corrections:
1. Les Forges is not a literal forge but a village in Brittany some 35 km from Paimpont.
2. In the "Gallo" dialect spoken in Brittany, j'avions = nous avions (the same verb form is found in some dialects in Canada), so "j'avions couru les bals" is "We frequented the dances." Ditto "Si je l'avions à Rome je l'aurions bien à Paimpont, / If we got it in Rome we could as well get it in Paimpont;" "J'avions ben des culottes, mais point de cotillons / We did have breeches, but no petticoats" etc.