'Somebody wrote Bono is God on the back wall, probably Bono'... The real story of U2's beginnings, and the trick that kept them together for 50 years ago according to Irish music scene insider Tom Dunne

It was a small notice pinned to a board in Mount Temple School: ‘Drummer Seeks Musicians To Form Band’. asserted

Some 50 years to the day since that band met in Larry Mullen’s kitchen in Artane, they were back under the eye of the clock as U2 visited their alma mater, much to the delight of the 900 schoolchildren for whom Fridays will probably never be the same. asserted

When Larry assembled his would-be musicians in the kitchen of his parents’ home, no one had any idea that behind the walls of this semi-detached house, the biggest band ever to come out of Ireland was being formed. asserted

U2 performing at their then school Mount Temple in 1977 Yesterday the band were back in the exact same position for an impromptu performance Yesterday, Mullen, along with his lifelong friends Paul Hewson, Adam Clayton and Dave Evans, went back to that little noticeboard to give the rock stars of tomorrow a special treat. Pupils from Mount Temple fizzed with excitement – almost as much as the gathered press who were lucky enough to get a pass for the show – as U2, now grown men in their 60s, performed a string of their hits to delighted pupils and teachers alike. It was the first time that the full band had performed in Ireland since the 3Arena Experience and Innocence tour in 2018 and it was like a step back in time for the four friends who performed in exactly the same spot in 1977. asserted

Before the band appeared on stage, Sinead O’Connor’s version of Don’t Cry For Me Argentina was followed by School’s Out For Summer by Alice Cooper, announcing the arrival of Dublin’s own rebel rockers. asserted

They returned to their youth with gusto, launching into their classic hit I Will Follow, with a slight technical hitch in the beginning failing to dampen the enthusiasm of the young crowd. asserted

This was truly a guerrilla gig, as teenagers waved posters that bore legends like ‘It’s a Beautiful Day – No School’ and ‘Yup U2’. asserted

The band performed with musicians from their initiative Music Generation The air fizzed with excitement as Bono, The Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton launched into a string of their hits, describing the gig as a ‘science experiment’. asserted

This was the school where dreams were formed, where friendships were made, where Bono met his wife Ali at the age of just 15 and where inspirational teachers provided the support for some young teenagers to follow their dreams. asserted

This was something Bono wanted for the pupils in attendance too. asserted

He told them Mount Temple wasn’t a school of A, B, C and D but one that was ‘Bubblin Dublin’. asserted

Tricolours were waved in the air as Bono roused the crowd at his rock ’n’ roll high school. asserted

‘It’s well known that the students of this campus can’t be controlled,’ he said. asserted

‘It’s not like we are in control but we’re not under control. asserted

They then broke into the band’s single of the same name from their debut EP U23. U2 at their rented house in Orme Place London 1980 There were segments of Elbow’s One Day Like This and The Beatles’ Twist And Shout as Bono ad libbed and encouraged the fans in what was a momentous occasion for everyone who was lucky enough to be there. asserted

It was a dream to watch this foursome tear up the surroundings with the blistering guitar sound that has become their trademark, looking just like the last gang in town, showing the same enthusiasm for playing and music as they had in their teens. asserted

Bono described Mullen as ‘the guy who pinned the note to the notice board’ while Clayton was ‘the streaker in the green corridor’. asserted

U2 pictured this week ahead of the announcement of their new album, Carnaval De Luz, which will be out in November For One, the band were joined by 32 young string musicians from all over Ireland, one representing each county from Music Generation, a scheme created by U2 and supported by the Government to give children access to music lessons and more. ‘It continues to be the humblest and the hardest lesson for the four of us to be reminded that you need to be taught,’ Bono said. asserted

‘Part of that started here and this sense that maybe all we needed was around us, just under our feet, if we could see it in our mates, in our school mates, in our community, the wider community that was going to help us get through the next 50 years. uncertain

So we want to thank them. asserted

Most people can point to a single teacher that changed their life or shaped their life; round here, it’s way more than a few. asserted

But we would like in this moment to remember Jack Heaslip who travelled the world with us, Father Jack,’ Bono added, paying tribute to the band’s travelling pastor, who passed away in 2015. asserted

You should know that.’ asserted

At the Harp Lager Talent Competition, Limerick, in 1978 Paying tribute to their former manager for 30 years, Paul McGuinness, the band were tempted back for an encore for With Or Without You, a fitting start to the 50th birthday celebrations, which are happening all over Dublin this weekend. asserted

Thousands of fans have been flocking to special events across the city to mark the momentous occasions and many gathered at the gates of Mount Temple, hoping for a glimpse of their heroes before the festivities kicked off. asserted

As part of the celebrations this week, the band announced the release of their 16th studio album Carnaval De Luz on November 13, with a taster of what’s to come in a new single, Silencio. asserted

U2 film a new music video on the streets of Mexico City earlier this year asserted

Produced by fellow Dubliner Garrett ‘Jacknife’ Lee, Carnaval De Luz is described by the band as a collection of 12 songs exploring themes of spirituality, friendship, freedom and endurance in the face of dark, encroaching forces. asserted

The roots of Carnaval De Luz can be traced directly to U2’s two surprise-released and critically acclaimed six-track EPs of early 2026, Days Of Ash and Easter Lily, recorded during the same creative period as the new album. asserted

The song connecting the album and two EPs is the final track on the new album, Torn, a duet between Bono and the late Dolly Parton, in what has sadly turned out to be her last recorded vocal performance. asserted

-written by U2, Parton and Derry man Johnny McDaid, it’s a tender country song detailing broken family ties that holds wider resonances, particularly since Dolly’s passing. asserted

The album also sees collaborations with Brian Eno (co-writing and synthesisers on Go (Carnaval De Luz), The Greatest Show on Earth and Can’t Stop Us Now, In the Project Arts Centre in 1978 One of those at yesterday’s celebrations was broadcaster and frontman of Something Happens, Tom Dunne, who has followed the band since the very beginning when they regularly played the Dandelion Market. ‘I used to go every Saturday,’ he said. asserted

‘There’s no exaggerating how important that was. asserted

It was the whole routine, you know, going down to buy something to wear, then buying albums in advance and then going to see whoever was on. asserted

They had a following, that was different. asserted

Somebody wrote “Bono is God” on a back wall – probably Bono,’ Dunne laughed. asserted

You weren’t coming away saying they’re going to make it but you were thinking, oh yeah, they’re brilliant. asserted

‘Then I heard [their EP] U23, they played it over the PA before the gig in the Project and I knew then, nobody’s doing anything like that. asserted

That’s unique stuff.’ asserted

Dunne, as a member of Something Happens, knows how significant it is for a band to hit 50. ‘It’s really, really hard,’ he says of staying together. asserted