Bono or Baaaa No

On our viking tour yesterday, in which we all boarded a Dukw, which was designed back in the 2nd world war to be a land and sea vehicle.  We go down close to the Docks and are fitted with some flotation devices and then we head into the Grand Canal.

U2's recording Studios which is actually call The Windmill Lane Studios, backs onto the Grand Canal so you get a nice view of it, now if you have read early stories I may have written about U2 or Bono, the Irish people really don't like him as a person, they love his music and will go and see his concert but the man himself is just not their favorite.  This is mainly put down to things he says or his antics.
Apparently Bono parks his Maserati inside the studio,(OMG I just googled that, and I see that Maseratti around all the time) okay so the wall which is now re-painted used to be a shrine to U2 with graffiti from people all over the world. Here is a photo

The tour guide on our tour, referred to him as thinking he was Jesus, he was going to build an apartment block on the other side of the canal to where the studios are, so that he could just walk across the water to work.

And I have heard many stories about how he basically expects people just to give him stuff or let him into places for free.  To top it one of the boy's in Em's class, his dad is Bono's body guard and they go around thinking they are God's gift to human kind, what with their holidays in the Hamptons and accompanying Bono and his family on their holidays.

Anyway to get back to the story, in the year 2000 Bono and U2 were granted "Freedom of the City of Dublin" by the Lord Mayor, which is a great honour anywhere in the world.  Nelson Mandela is also a precipitant of this award.   What does this award mean?  Well I quote now from the Dublin City Council's web page:

Freedom of the City of Dublin

The award of Freedom of the City of Dublin acknowledges the contribution of certain people to the life of our city. It also bestows honour to important visitors to Dublin.

No financial or other benefits are attached to the Freedom of the City. However it does carry significant prestige, as well as some interesting symbolic privileges and duties!

Recipients of this award may are referred to as a ‘Freeman’ or ‘Freewoman’ of Dublin. They are also Honorary Citizens of our city.

Ancient Privileges & Duties of a Freeman/Freewoman

Holders of the Freedom of Dublin have a number of ancient privileges and duties not applicable to ordinary citizens, some of which have little more than symbolic meaning in the modern world!

Privileges of a Freeman/Freewoman

• The right to bring goods into Dublin through the city gates, without paying customs duties.
• The right to pasture sheep on common ground within the city boundaries. This includes modern-day College Green (formerly Hoggen Green) and St.Stephen’s Green. (This right was exercised by Freeman ‘Bono’ of U2 in 2000!)
• The right to vote in municipal and parliamentary elections.

So of course what do Bono and the Edge do, they go and get a sheep and bring them to St. Stephens Green to Graze - the Irish public thought this was so lame and branded them laughing stocks of the City for a while! 

Duties of a Freeman/Freewoman

• Each Freeman/Freewoman has to be ready to defend the city from attack.
• A Freeman/Freewoman can be called on to join a city militia at short notice.
• According to a law passed in 1454, any merchant who becomes a Freeman/Freewoman must possess the following items:
• A coat of mail
• A bow
• A light helmet
• A sword of his/her own
• Freemen from all the other trade guilds must have a bow, arrows and a sword.
• A law passed in 1465, states that each Freeman/Freewoman has to provide himself/herself with a longbow (of his own length) made of yew, witch-hazel or ash. He/she must also have twelve arrows made of the same wood.

Now after their Sheep antics I wonder if they will adhere to the Duties of the City as well????

U2 could know someone who knows Bono

I haven't bought the Dubliner magazine in a while, but yesterday when I went to the doctor - Emily and I stopped in at the Cafe next door and it was at the counter staring at me so I bought it. While waiting to see the Doc, I browsed through the magazine and came across an article called: "The greatest Dubliners" as voted by you, and of course number 6. was Bono.I had to laugh because I had told Natalie this story on Sunday, but the reason why I laughed is because the write up about Bono had this to say: "When people find out that you are Irish or from Ireland they mention Bono and if we're sober we respond with a pinched smile, as if to say - Ah, yes, the little chap in the boots, I do wish he'd stop calling. If we're drunk we launch into a well rehearsed anecdote that bears almost no relation to the truth, went to school with him, next door neighbour, Stole my cowboy hat!"

So here is the story about Paul Hewson and U2, Emily was invited to a birthday party on Saturday, one of the school kids in her class. The party was close to town where I never even knew houses existed, so we went to drop her off, when M opened the door of her Georgian house it revealed white marbled tiles, I so wanted to be invited in, but did not insist. Then on the way home I called D to see if he was still at Mouse watching the soccer, if so he could pick up Em, but he was at home but said he would fetch her anyway.

So later off he went to pick up Em and came home to tell me all about the house, he was invited in and on the wall were some framed U2 records, so D being D not shy says to M, wow where did you get that, so she quizzed D about why he wanted to know and he told her that they are one of his ultimate bands, so M say well B her husband is the security guard for U2 - has his own security company.

Also on the wall he had an electric guitar signed by The edge (who by the way's Aunt worked with me in my last job). He said that Bruce Springsteen had offered B 100K for the guitar and he turned it down - so now we know somebody who knows or has met Bruce Springsteen too!!!