U2 guitarist explains why it took him 60 years to become an Irish citizen
U2 guitarist The Edge, real name David Howell Evans, has secured Irish citizenship after living in Ireland for over 60 years.
Born in England to Welsh parents, Evans moved to Ireland at one year old and co-founded the Dublin -born band U2 in 1976.
He described the citizenship as "long overdue" and expressed deep pride in Ireland, stating he always felt Irish.
The conferring ceremony took place in Killarney, County Kerry, as part of an event where more than 7,500 people were expected to become Irish citizens.
Evans highlighted the significance of the timing, feeling an even deeper connection with his homeland.
U2 guitarist The Edge becomes Irish citizen in 'long-overdue move'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Kneecap lead anti-Starmer chant during politically charged Glastonbury set
Kneecap began a politically charged set at Glastonbury on Saturday afternoon, leading the crowds in chants of 'Fuck Keir Starmer!' The Irish rap act took to the stage at 4pm for their controversial set, which had been criticised by the UK prime minister as not 'appropriate'. The PM's comment came after band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence for holding a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last November. 'We understand colonialism and we understand how important it is to support each other internationally,' said Ó hAnnaidh on the band's support for the people of Gaza who have suffered at the hands of Israel's military and through a lack of aid deliveries. Later on Saturday, an Avon and Somerset police spokesperson said the force was assessing comments made by Kneecap during their set. They told the Guardian: 'We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury festival this afternoon. 'Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.' During the Kneecap performance, a sea of at least 200 Palestinian flags made it difficult for cameras to get a clear shot of the stage from inside the crowd. 'The BBC editor is going to have some job,' Chara joked, referring to the flags. Earlier the broadcaster confirmed it would not be able to support a live stream of the performance. The broadcaster has not yet confirmed when the footage will be available on iPlayer. Users of the Glastonbury app received a push notification almost an hour before the band were due to perform saying the West Holts stage was closed. However, spectators were still getting in 20 minutes before the start of the set. The show opened with clips of news and various TV discussion shows, with politicians and commentators saying the group should be banned and had been 'avoiding justice for far too long'. There was booing from the crowd for Sharon Osborne calling them a 'pathetic band'. 'Glastonbury I'm a free man!' shouted Ó hAnnaidh, to wild cheers from the crowd. 'If anybody falls down, you've got to pick them up. We've got to keep each other safe,' he added. The group, who rap in English and Irish, performed an energetic set including Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite, Get Your Brits Out and Fine Art in front of a backdrop which said 'Free Palestine', occasionally varying with other phrases including 'Fuck Badenoch', referring to the leader of the Tory party. The crowds chanted: 'Free Mo Chara, free free Mo Chara!' 'Mo Chara's back in court for a trumped up terrorism charge,' said Móglaí Bap, also known as Naoise Ó Cairealláin. 'It's not the first time there's a miscarriage of justice for an Irish person in the British criminal justice system,' he said. Ó hAnnaidh cut a defiant figure, saying his plight in the courts was nothing compared to the suffering of the Palestinian people. The band urged people to come out to support Ó hAnnaidh at his next court date at Westminster magistrates court. 'I want to say a big thank you to the Eavis family [organisers of Glastonbury],' Ó hAnnaidh added, for 'holding strong' in the face of criticism. Asked on Wednesday about the controversy, organiser Emily Eavis said: 'There have been a lot of really heated topics this year, but we remain a platform for many, many artists from all over the world and, you know, everyone is welcome here.' On numerous occasions, the trio chanted 'Fuck Keir Starmer!', with the crowd passionately shouting back. They also had the crowds chanting the Irish republican slogan, 'tiocfaidh ár lá', which translates as 'our day will come'. The band laughed with the crowd asking: 'Is anyone going to see Rod Stewart tomorrow?' The 80-year-old rocker was criticised ahead of his Pyramid stage performance after saying he thought the public should give Nigel Farage 'a chance'. Describing him as Rod the Prod, Ó hAnnaidh said: 'I mean, the man's older than Israel.' Paloma Faith, the musician and public speaker, was in the crowd for Kneecap's performance. She told the Guardian: 'A lot of people are now being demonised because there's such a fear of terrorism. And I understand that fear but I don't think that Kneecap have anything to do with that. They're all about the soul and the heart of freedom of people. 'I don't know anyone who likes to see children being killed on such a huge scale for any reason and I think [Kneecap] stand by that. Obviously they come from the perspective of a marginalised community at the hands of British colonialism.' She said artists who speak out on human rights issues were worried about being misquoted by the press or having their words taken out of context at a time when peaceful activists are coming under increasing attack from governments. She added: 'Everyone's a bit scared now. People are going to jail for stuff that isn't what we perceive as violent. It's scary times.' It comes after the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said on Monday that the pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action would be proscribed under anti-terror laws. If approved in parliament in a vote next week, this would make membership and support of the group illegal and punishable with a prison sentence under anti-terror laws. On stage, Kneecap reiterated their support for the group and band member JJ Ó Dochartaigh, known as DJ Próvaí, wore a Palestine Action T-shirt, underneath a red boiler suit associated with the group as he surfed the crowd.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Government condemns Glastonbury chants aired live on BBC
The government has "strongly condemned" chants at Glastonbury Festival from rap punk duo Bob Vylan calling for "death" to the Israeli military and broadcast live on the Bobby Vylan led chants of "free, free Palestine" and "death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]" during their set, which came just before Belfast rap trio Kneecap.A BBC spokesperson said some of the comments were "deeply offensive", adding it had issued a warning on screen about "very strong and discriminatory language". The set will not be available to rewatch on BBC said they were reviewing videos of comments made by Bob Vylan and Kneecap to decide whether any offences had been committed. Follow the latest updates from Glastonbury Festival After Bob Vylan's performance, a government spokesperson said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had spoken to BBC director general Tim Davie to seek an "urgent explanation about what due diligence" the broadcaster carried out ahead of airing the government added that it welcomed the decision not to re-broadcast the performance on BBC Vylan's set on the festival's West Holts stage came ahead of Irish-language rap group group have made headlines in recent months after rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying the flag of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah at a gig last year. He has denied the highly-charged performance on Saturday was watched by thousands and hit back at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with expletive-laden chants, after he previously called the band's Glastonbury appearance "not appropriate".Mr Ó hAnnaidh is on bail after a court hearing in London two weeks the sets from Bob Vylan and Kneecap, Avon and Somerset Police said it would review footage of comments made by acts on the West Holts force said footage "will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation".
Sky News
7 hours ago
- Sky News
Kneecap rapper tells Glastonbury he's a 'free man' after terror charge court appearance
Kneecap rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh told Glastonbury he is a "free man" as the Irish rap band played to a huge crowd. O hAnnaidh, also known as Liam O'Hanna - or by his stage name Mo Chara - was charged with a terror offence in May and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court earlier this month. The 27-year-old is accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed group Hezbollah at a gig in London last November, after video footage circulated online. He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August. Before their performance at Glastonbury there had been calls from some politicians for them to be cut from the line-up. But they were greeted by cheers of support, and dozens of Palestinian flags waving in the audience, as well as Irish flags and a few "Free Mo Chara" T-shirts. On stage, they said it was the biggest crowd they had ever played to. Kneecap played the West Holts stage, which has a capacity of about 30,000, and the area was closed by security about 45 minutes before their set. They started with a montage of news readers covering O hAnnaidh's charge. "Has anybody been watching the news?" bandmate Naoise O Caireallain joked. They also thanked Glastonbury organisers Michael Eavis and daughter Emily for not bowing to pressure to remove them from the bill. In reference to his bandmate's upcoming court date, O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would "start a riot outside the courts", before clarifying: "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine." Earlier on Saturday, the BBC confirmed they would not be live-streaming the set but said the performance could be made available on-demand later. Before their set, rap-punk duo Bob Vylan also caused controversy, leading the crowd in chants of: "Free, free Palestine" and: "Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)." Police said afterwards that they were assessing footage of both performances to decide whether any offences may have been committed. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC Director General about Bob Vylan's performance, a government spokesperson said. Kneecap were removed from other festivals earlier this year, and before Glastonbury there were calls from some for them to be taken off the bill - including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The rappers have had the support of dozens of musicians including Massive Attack, Pulp, Primal Scream and Paul Weller, who signed an open letter in May saying there had been a "concerted attempt to censor and ultimately de-platform" the group. Kneecap released their first single in 2017 and built a loyal fanbase in the following years. They rose to wider prominence in 2024 following the release of their debut album and eponymous film - a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together and their fight to save the Irish language.
