By Patricia McDonagh
BONO popped around for a chat at a family home near Croke Park at the weekend, and apologised if his band were making too much noise.
It is something that hardcore fans could only dream of, but Carol McGrain and family had one of the world's most recognisable rock stars hanging out in their front room.
Mrs McGrain (46), from Clonliffe Road in Dublin, was watching the band as they rolled down her street towards their massive Saturday gig in Croke Park.
And suddenly Bono decided to single her out and say thanks for putting up with the noise, which had been streaming through local windows as builders constructed the intricate Claw stage inside the stadium last week.
Residents had argued that the mammoth stage, which is 165ft tall, also created traffic management issues but Mrs McGrain put differences to one side as Bono came over for a chat.
"It was around 5pm on Saturday and I waved as he was passing in the jeep, and he gave me (the) thumbs up," she told the Irish Independent last night.
"I just asked him to come over to me. And for some reason he did. He thanked me, and all of the other residents, for putting up with the noise.
Autograph
"We were standing at the doorway and I asked to get an autograph but I couldn't find a pen, so I said to him to come inside until I found one.
"I couldn't find a piece of paper so his driver took out the schedule of songs from Friday night's tour and Bono signed the back of it."
Mrs McGrain, her son Greg (8) and her husband Tommy (52) are still flabbergasted the star took the time out to talk to them.
"I couldn't believe he was in the living room. I'm still just on a high over the whole thing," she said. It came hours before Bono completed the second night of U2's rip roaring music pantomime at the GAA stadium.
Dressed in a black leather jacket embellished with studs, the frontman kicked off the concert with a flurry of new material before the band concentrated on some old favourites, guaranteed to wow the crowd.
'Beautiful Day' saw a sea of hands rise to the beat from every corner of the stadium, while the ground throbbed with their rendition of 'Vertigo'.
The epic gig even saw the four piece link up with NASA astronauts, who paid homage to the space-age Claw.
For Bono the atmosphere became too much at one point.
"It's like a big Irish wedding, this whole thing. People fighting in the toilets, babies being made, babies being born," he said.
"All visitors from out of town. This is our version of the social network. Everyone is welcome to this great tribal gathering."
- Patricia McDonagh
Copyright © 2009 Independent.ie
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