Here’s to you, Ronnie Drew

U2 and friends collaborate on tribute to The Dubliner’s Ronnie Drew.

Bono and The Edge have co-written a song for Ronnie Drew, the singer with Ireland’s best known folk band, The Dubliners.

Drew has been battling cancer for some time. Bono told Hot Press: “When you’re fighting cancer your mood is critical. We want Ronnie to know how much he is respected and loved.”

Bono, The Edge, Simon Carmody and Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter wrote and demoed the song entitled ‘The Ballad of Ronnie Drew’ last week and the band (U2/Kila) laid down the rhythm track at Windmill Lane at 10am, this Tuesday morning. Bono, Shane McGowan, Christy Moore and Damien Dempsey all took turns singing the verses. On Tuesday night, everybody who is anybody in Irish music gathered together at the studio, to record the backing vocals of the song, ‘we are the world’-style.

Musicians included Sinead O’Connor, Christy Moore, Andrea Corr, Shane McGowan, Bob Geldof, Damien Dempsey, Gavin Friday, Jerry Fish, Clannad’s Moya Brennan, Paul Brady, Paddy Casey, Glen Hansard and members of The Dubliners and The Chieftains.

According to an insider the session ‘…went well. Mad hectic, but fun.’ The Pogues’ Shane McGowan apparently had some trouble getting into the country, forgetting his passport in the hurry.

The single’s expected for release around Easter this year. We’re told proceeds will go toward a children’s cancer charity.

- Hot Press has the details.
- U2.com talks to Simon Carmody

Bono on G8 failures

BBC Newsnight on the outcome of the G8 conference. Both Bono and Bob Geldof comment. Geldof summarises eloquently: ‘What happened over the last few days is bollocks.’

Watch the P8 concert

Herbert Grönemeyer and Bono performing Grönemeyer’s ‘Mensch’ (lyrics) in German at the P8 festival in Rostock.

Bono also performed Redemption Song with Youssou N’Dour and Bob Geldof, You Never Give Me Your Money / Carry That Weight with Youssou N’Dour, Bob Geldof, and the Toten Hosen’s Campino, and Get Up Stand Up with Youssou N’Dour and Bob Geldof.

AOL.de has the P8 concert up for your viewing pleasure.

Continue reading »

Edge, fancy a pint?

Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Bob Geldof, Jamie Oliver and Bono team up for Comic Relief. This year’s Red Nose Day raised £40,236,142 for the poor and disadvantaged people across the UK and Africa.

Voices and Poetry of Ireland

Bono and Paul McGuinness have contributed to Voices and Poetry of Ireland, a 3 CD and book anthology of Irish poetry that will benefit Focus Ireland, an organization that aims to combat homelessness and advance the rights of homeless people.

The list of contributors to Voices and Poetry of Ireland, which is supported by Poetry Ireland, reads like a Who’s Who of Ireland. The book that accompanies the CDs contains the text of the poems, as well as photos and biographical information of the readers. Priced at Euro 40, the CD and book set will be available from Harper Collins in two weeks.

Read the press release and full list of poems and their readers.

Continue reading »