News @U2

Our man in Africa (Part 2)

Sun, 11 May 2008 11:34:00 -0700

Jamie Drummond lobbies the richest people on the planet on behalf of the poorest.Tim Adams meets the man with a direct line to the world's most powerful leaders Continued from Part 1... Celebrity does not win those arguments, knowledge does. To start with, Bono says, George Bush did not want to see them. The then treasury secretary Paul O'Neill didn't want to see them either. 'We walked in and he said: "If you think we are going to increase aid to Africa while I am sitting in this chair you are out of your mind. We are not giving you money to redecorate some presidential palace." So I said: "Well,

Our man in Africa (Part 1)

Sun, 11 May 2008 11:29:00 -0700

Jamie Drummond lobbies the richest people on the planet on behalf of the poorest.Tim Adams meets the man with a direct line to the world's most powerful leaders It is unnerving, as a journalist, to travel with Jamie Drummond. He never stops asking questions. In Tanzania, where I spend a week with him, he asks questions of world bank leaders and presidential advisers, of dollar-a-day farmers and fishermen on dhows, of editors and opposition leaders and economists and statisticians and doctors and teachers and nurses. He cheerfully interrogates the sick and the well, schoolchildren and grandmothers. The questions are always local and precise, but they also relate to a bigger enquiry,

Liz turns to Bono for some charity work tips

Sat, 10 May 2008 16:42:00 -0700

It pays to have friends in high places -- as Liz O'Donnell found out when when she called on Bono for tips on improving development aid. In the last programme of the RTE series, Far Away Up Close, the U2 front-man meets with the former TD in New York to give his insider's view on the challenges of uniting governments and interested parties to beat global poverty.

U2 peace gig was 'the best'

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:45:00 -0700

Bono has revealed U2's historic peace process gig at Belfast's Waterfront Hall was the highlight of their career. In a new documentary Bono said he loved the fact that people got behind the peace process by voting yes in the referendum. He added: "It's one of our proudest moments in the sense that this one evening, I think, definitely had a serious knock-on effect. "It stole the headlines for two or three days just when it seemed the wave against the referendum was growing.

U2 tower now ready for Elevation

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:00:00 -0700

After years of planning, wrangling and rowing, it finally looks like the landmark U2 tower is finally set to get off the ground. Plans for the Liffey highrise remain on course even though a formal agreement with the developers has still not been struck. The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) said negotiations between it and the preferred bidders -- a consortium including U2 members -- "are due to be completed shortly." The DDDA expects "construction of the tower to begin by the end of this year or early next year,

@U2 QOM April 2008: What could U2 do better in its relationship with fans?

Wed, 07 May 2008 10:28:00 -0700

(Each month, @U2 puts a spotlight on U2 fans with our "Question of the Month." We pose a question to our readers and invite answers of 200 words or less. If you're interested in taking part, check our home page to see if the current question is still open. If not, check back shortly after the beginning of next month and we'll have another question ready to be answered!)

The elementary school library has shelves full of books waiting to be explored by young readers. There are books with mysteries, fairies, adventures, biographies, science,

Column: off the record�, vol. 8-303

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:29:00 -0700

I've finally done it -- I've not only converted my pastor into a U2 fan, but he's done an entire sermon on "Beautiful Day" today. I feel like I've done my inner fan proud. My inner fan has been struggling as of late, though.

It's springtime in my neck of the woods, and along with the season comes a chance to do some spring cleaning.

U2: Give us what we're looking for

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:36:00 -0700

Band to close failing hotel if plans to redevelop it are refused. Bono and the Edge yesterday warned the band's historic Dublin hotel could close if a pounds 150million redevelopment is blocked. Heritage groups yesterday began an appeal against U2's plans for the famous Clarence on the banks of the Liffey. As he went into the hearing, guitarist the Edge warned the building's future is under threat. He said: "The main reason why we have applied for this development is to preserve the hotel into the future and obviously financially.

Is this U2's Heartbreak Hotel?

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:32:00 -0700

Edge warns there's no 'plan B' if controversial design is rejected There is no "Plan B" for Dublin's Clarence Hotel, if ambitious plans by owners U2 to extend the building are rejected by planning authorities, guitarist the Edge said yesterday. And the musician refused to rule out selling the hotel on Wellington Quay if An Bord Pleanala rejects plans to quadruple the size of the hotel, in the process knocking six listed buildings and installing an iconic "skycatcher" on the roof. Any changes or compromises to the plans would cause the "whole deck of cards to crumple," he said, and,

Like a Song: A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:11:00 -0700

[Ed. note: This is the eighteenth in a series of personal essays by the @U2 staff about songs and/or albums that have had great meaning or impact in our lives.]

A song can change your life in many ways: the excitement it brings; the sense of possibility; the joy and the ecstasy.

Yet that other life-changing, or at the very least life-enhancing, element of music is escapism.

Now Bono's building an art museum

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:29:00 -0700

He has long been a fan of world-renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, whom he once described as "simply awesome," and now Bono is putting his money where his mouth is and has commissioned Ando to design his very own art gallery. The planned modern art gallery -- a gift to the people of Dublin -- will be built from concrete, steel and glass, but it's still at the conceptual stage. Not even the location has been decided yet but all bets are on docklands, where U2 have lent their name to a planned towerblock.

The Edge defends revamp of U2 hotel

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:32:00 -0700

The revamp of one of Dublin's landmark hotels by a world-class architect would be an incredible coup for the Irish capital, U2's the Edge has said. Speaking outside a planning board hearing into the controversial redevelopment of the Clarence Hotel, owned by Bono and the Edge, the rock star said the scheme would bring life back into the city's quays. The 150 million euro (about �100 million) proposal by Lord (Norman) Foster would see the construction of a new building topped with a massive glass dome.

Not just Bono's wife

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:28:00 -0700

"I don't want to end my life feeling I've only looked after myself, that everything I did was to protect myself. I want, when I die, to believe that I've achieved what I was supposed to achieve, that is, to help other people in whatever way I could." -- Ali Hewson It was the first morning of the rest of her life. Dark-haired, dark-eyed 12-year-old Alison Stewart no sooner arrived at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin than Paul Hewson, a grade above her, spotted the new girl.

Bono sings a financial hymn in Dublin

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:00:00 -0700

April 13, 2008 -- DUBLIN - Bono hopes to give a rare performance in Dublin this week but don't expect to hear any of the rockstar's greatest hits. The U2 front man is instead hoping to appear before planning officials in the latest bid to win approval for a $$237.2 million plan to expand his Clarence Hotel. Bono, U2 guitarist the Edge and a group of investors have drawn up plans with architect Sir Norman Foster for an ambitious redevelopment and expansion of The Clarence,

Column: off the record�, vol. 8-302

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:16:00 -0700

After a few slow news weeks, I guess I struck it lucky this time, since there was a lot going on this week in the world of U2.

Last time I wrote about the events surrounding Bono and Edge's plans for The Clarence; recently the national tourism board Failte Ireland offered criticism of the plans, saying they weren't part of sustainable development.