U2 surprised Dublin crowds with a concert on Grafton Street, playing from Bewley’s Cafe balcony, as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. Earlier in the day, they returned to Mount Temple Comprehensive School where drummer Larry Mullen first gathered his bandmates in 1976. The performance also promoted their new album, Carnaval De Luz, marking their return with original material after a six-year hiatus since Songs Of Surrender.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 25, U2 reunited at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin to celebrate the 50th anniversary of when the band was formed by drummer Larry Mullen Jr., who posted a note on a school noticeboard seeking musicians. The group performed for hundreds of students, marking their first appearance together in Ireland since 2018. This special performance included hits like "I Will Follow," "Vertigo," and "With Or Without You." Prior to the school event, they also gave an impromptu concert on Grafton Street in Dublin, playing from a balcony at Bewley’s Cafe. U2, who have sold over 170 million records globally, are currently promoting their new album Carnaval De Luz, which features a duet with the late Dolly Parton titled "Torn."
Written for “U2 Fifty Years Anniversary Celebration” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
Crowds packed into Grafton Street, one of Dublin’s main shopping thoroughfares, as the band played some of their greatest hits from a balcony on Bewley’s Cafe on Friday evening.
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band → pack → evening
Earlier that morning, they returned to the Dublin school at which drummer Larry Mullen first sought out his fellow bandmates five decades ago.
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Mullen → return → bandmates
The Irish rockers put on a special performance at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in front of hundreds of students on Friday.
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rockers → put → Friday
This month in 1976, Mullen is said to have pinned a note stating “Drummer seeks musicians to form band” on the school noticeboard.
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Drummer → say → noticeboard
He joined Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson; The Edge, whose real name is David Evans; and Adam Clayton for 30 minutes of music – in a recreation of when the international music stars used to play at the school’s boiler house.
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stars → join → house
They are among the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold 170 million records.
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They → sell → records
It comes as the band promote their new album Carnaval De Luz, which features a duet between Bono and Dolly Parton.
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which → come → Bono
There was a carnival atmosphere as hundreds of children crowded into an area of open ground beside the school boiler house, while others stuck their heads out of the surrounding classroom windows.
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others → be → windows
They cheered and screamed while holding up signs for their alma mater, while scores of journalists from the international media also watched on.
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scores → cheer → media
News of the unique gig, which was attempted to be held as a closely guarded secret, had clearly broken out beyond the grounds as fans outside the gates – and builders several stories up on a nearby construction site – also sought to catch a glimpse of the excitement.
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fans → attempt → excitement
A major production with several moving cameras captured the performance, which was blasted over a loud sound system across the schoolyard into the surrounding Clontarf.
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which → move → Clontarf
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Taking to the stage after the system played Alice Cooper’s Schools Out, Bono grabbed the mic and pointed to the school science lab.
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Bono → read → lab
Before launching into I Will Follow, he joked to the school: “We escaped the lab – how’s the experiment going for you?”
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experiment → launch → you
The quips kept coming with some educational advice before the opening “uno, dos, tres, catorce” countdown for Vertigo, Bono said: “If you’re taking Spanish lessons, don’t take them from me.”
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you → keep → me
An Irish tricolour waved as the crowd heaved and jumped along – with Bono noting the students were “out of control”.
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students → wave → control
Reflecting on their time at the school and paying tribute to their teachers, Bono said: “Learning how much you need to be taught was – and continues to be – the humblest and hardest lesson for the four of us.
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you → reflect → us
“Part of that started here and the sense was that maybe all we needed was around us, just under our feet – if we could see it in our mates, our wider community that was going to help us get through the next 50 years.
uncertain
us → start → years
“So we want to thank them – and the wider community around this rock ‘n’ roll high school.”
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we → want → school
On behalf of the band, he thanked them for turning up but noted the children of the “rock ‘n roll high school” had “nowhere else to go” during the afternoon gig.
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children → thank → gig
Supported by children on traditional Irish instruments from the Music Generation, a national music education programme supported by the band, those gathered were also treated to a rendition of One.
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those → support → One
A chanted demand of “one more tune” elicited an encore of With Or Without You before the band left the improvised stage of the boiler house – 50 years after coming together.
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band → chant → house
Thousands more gathered on Dublin’s Grafton Street later that day as the Bewley’s appearance became the city’s worst-kept secret.
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appearance → gather → Street
Bono noted the band’s “birthday” as it paid tribute to recently deceased Irish musician Glen Hansard by playing his track Falling Slowly, while the Dubliners also sang along to a chorus of Molly Malone.
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Dubliners → note → Malone
Earlier, entertainment reporters were given a sneak preview of the upcoming album including songs Silencio, Can’t Stop Us Now, and The Greatest Show on Earth at a listening party at the Twenty-Two venue – which had been given a full makeover with U2 memorabilia and rebranded back to its former title of McGonagles, where the band has played more gigs than anywhere else.
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band → give → gigs
Among the selected tracks was Torn, which is a duet between Bono and the late country music star Dolly Parton.
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which → select → Bono
Parton, who died in August at the age of 80 following a brief battle with cancer, sings from the perspective of the matriarch of a family which is being torn apart due to the differing political views of two sons.
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which → die → sons
The Aporia
