Producer Steve Lillywhite has been named a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by HRH Queen Elizabeth in her New Year’s Honours List.

For those of you outside the UK and bewildered by the Honours List – The Awards are essentially an acknowledgement of an individuals achievements in a particular pursuit, they are awarded to leading sports personalities, writers, public figures and more importantly to private individuals for their contribution to their own community/
The CBE is the third level in the Order of the British Empire after the Knight/Dame Grand Cross (GBE) and Knight/Dame Commander (KBE/DBE). Only those top two ranks receive the official title of Knight and the use of Sir or Dame.

Lillywhite began his career back in 1972 as a tape operator for Polygram before moving to Island Records as a staff/in-house producer. His first major success coming when he produced Siouxse &The Banshees first single, 1978?s ‘Hong Kong Garden’, he also produced Steel Pulse’s first release ‘Klu Klux Klan’

Over the next three decades, he would produce numerous major albums, including:

U2 – ‘Boy’, ‘War’ & ‘October’, ‘The Joshua Tree’ , ‘Achtung Baby’, ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’ and ‘No Line on the Horizon’.
Dave Mathews Band – ‘Under the Table and Dreaming’, ‘Crash’
Rolling Stones – ‘Dirty Work’
Peter Gabriel – ‘Peter Gabriel (III)
Talking Heads – ‘Naked’
Morrissey ‘Vauxhall and I’
Ultravox – ‘Ultravox!!!’
Psychedelic Furs – ‘The Psychedelic Furs’
Crowded House – ‘Time on Earth’
Big Country – ‘The Crossing’
30 Seconds to Mars – ‘This is War’

He was also responsible for the production on many early new wave records including releases by Toyah, XTC, The Chameleons, and Eddie & The Hot Rods. More recently he has been linked to Beady Eye, and Evenessence – it is estimated that he has production credits for over 500 releases.

Lillywhite also produced the ultimate Christmas song, The Pogues ‘Fairytale of New York’ which featured the late Kirsty MacColl who was previously married to Lillywhite.

http://louderthanwar.com/

After almost 37 years, Gay Byrne presented his final broadcast of ‘The Late Late Show’ on 21 May 1999. Over the five decades since it began in 1962, the world’s longest-running chat show has brought many topics deemed taboo by elements of Irish society into a public forum for discussion. On Byrne’s last show U2 members Bono and Larry Mullen surprised him with the gift of a Harley Davidson.

Bono's Peter and the Wolf book

By Independent.ie reporters
Friday Feb 3 2012

THE website for the Irish Hospice Foundation crashed last night when Victoria Beckham tweeted a link to the charity after receiving a gift from Bono for baby Harper of a book he did in aid of the charity in 2003.

Victoria Beckham tweeted last night: “Thanks Bono and Ali for Harper’s supercool Peter and the Wolf book!” The fashion designer then gave a link to the book cover and tweeted a link to the Irish Hospice Foundation website to her two and a half million Twitter followers. The Irish Hospice Foundation tweeted the designer “We hope you and David enjoy reading it to Harper.”

Caroline Lynch of the Irish Hospice Foundation confirmed that after the fashion designer tweeted the link and it was retweeted on Twitter, the charity’s website crashed under the high volume of traffic from people trying to get onto the site and find out about the book. “The site went down from the number of people who were trying to get on and make enquiries.” she said.

The book produced in 2003 by Bono and Gavin Friday contains 64 pages of Bono’s original paintings and illustrations from his daughters Jordan and Eve. Since 2003, Peter and the Wolf has raised €993,006 for the hospice foundation. The charity is hoping the Beckham tweet will help them to raise the additional €7000 needed to bring them over the €1 million mark.

Meanwhile Bono is set to enjoy a beautiful payday with a reputed windfall of €1.1bn from his Facebook investment it was reported this week.

For details of the book conact: 01 679 31 88 or email fundraising@hospice-foundation.ie to place an order.

Read more: http://www.independent.ie

Just like to say a big thank you to you all for the shares and likes of the content that’s put up on the website. Really decent of you folk to spread our news around.

Ignore the count in the image above, it’s exaggerated. We’re not quite in that league yet.

However, if there’s anything you’d like to see featured here or if you hear of a news story going around that’s relevant, do please let us know.

You can contact us at news @ u2ol.net

Without the spaces of course, or alternatively via the contact form below.

Fancy doing a riff with The Edge? Well you may be able to soon thanks to a new Music App called “WholeWorldBand”.

U2′s The Edge, along with other top Irish and International music names are working on the “WholeWorldBand” app, which will be available for download from iTunes in March.

The idea is the brainchild of former 10CC band member Kevin Godley, and Andy Wood of Cult Motion.

The App will allow Musicians and music fans alike from all over the world will be able to submit their own selection of videos to the “WholeWorldBand” library to create their own favourite band line up, and be given the opportunity to earn money from their performances.

Kevin Godley said: “WholeWorldBand is a revolutionary new online music tool that provides a new platform for distribution while offering the opportunity of new revenue streams for up and coming and established musicians and bands and, in fact, anyone.”

The idea behind the “WholeWorldBand” app is to allows users to choose a track or add themselves to performances of well known acts, or to substitute a famous band member for themselves. Musicians can then record themselves playing or singing with a track, and upload the video to Facebook or Youtube for fellow musicians to watch.

A host of stars Major recording artists including Gavin Friday, The Edge (U2), Ron Wood (Rolling Stones), Gemma Hayes, Cathy Davey, Mik Pyro (Republic of Loose) and Liam O’Maonlai (Hot House Flowers) are already creating performances for the new WholeWorldBand iPhone/iPad app.

The WholeWorldBand app, will be demonstrated at The Music Show on 25 and 26 February, which takes place in the RDS, Dublin.

www.wholeworldband.com

Jubilant supporters hailed Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she hit the campaign trail on Sunday ahead of by-elections seen as a key test of the regime’s commitment to reform.

Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi hit the campaign trail ahead of by-elections Photo: JULIAN SIMMONDS

Tens of thousands flocked to get a glimpse of the Nobel Peace Prize winner in the coastal district of Dawei, as she made her first political trip outside Rangoon since declaring she would stand for office in the April 1 polls.

Streets were flooded with local people waving flags, cheering and dancing with delight at the appearance of the democracy icon, who could be swept into parliament by the vote.

Surveying the sea of people packed along a main road in the southern town, Ms Suu Kyi said she “chose the right place” to kick off her campaign tour.

“People need to watch to make sure the coming by-elections are free and fair. There should be no vote buying and no threats to get votes,” she told the crowd at the end of her one-day visit.

Ms Suu Kyi’s decision to stand for a seat in parliament is the latest sign of dramatic change taking place in the country formerly known as Burma after the end of nearly half a century of outright military rule.

A new government dominated by former generals came to power last year following November 2010 elections that were marred by cheating and the absence of Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

The regime has since surprised observers with a series of reforms, including welcoming the NLD back into the political mainstream, ceasefire deals with ethnic minority rebels and the release of hundreds of political prisoners.

Western nations are now considering easing sanctions, further raising hopes of an end to decades of isolation, but controversy surrounding the 2010 vote means the forthcoming by-elections will be heavily scrutinised.

The NLD is running for all 48 seats up for grabs in the polls and Ms Suu Kyi is standing in a rural constituency near Rangoon. Sunday’s visit was in support of Aung Soe, the party’s candidate in a local township.

“If we move in the right direction our country will have many opportunities. We are eager to seize them,” Ms Suu Kyi said in a speech in Dawei.

“For the security of the people, the rule of law is very important … We hope to give back to the people by working for more stability in people’s lives,” added the 66-year-old.

Ms Suu Kyi was released from house arrest days after the 2010 election and has seen increasingly warm relations with the new regime, with some suggesting she could even take a role in government if elected to parliament.

The NLD won an election in 1990 by a landslide while Ms Suu Kyi remained under house arrest, but the ruling generals ignored the result.

The party was stripped of its legal status after boycotting the 2010 elections, saying the rules were unfair.

Source: AFP

www.telegraph.co.uk

Most of us subscribe to the theory that music is good for you but it seems some songs are even better than others in that regard to lift our mood and get us going.

According to a leading Psychiatrist rocking out to songs with a certain number of beats per minute can generate specific mental states, such as productivity and relaxation.

In her new book, “Your Playlist Can Change Your Life: 10 Proven Ways Your Favorite Music Can Revolutionize Your Health, Memory, Organization, Alertness and More,” Columbia University professor Galina Mindlin and her co-authors Don DuRousseau and Joseph Cardillo reveal their findings about music and how we can use our playlists to help us achieve specific tasks: “It’s [about] how music affects you — how it can improve your memory, how it can relieve anxiety, enhance your mood, how we can use playlists for specific tasks,” Mindlin said. “Using music with certain frequencies, you really can create the desired state of mind.”

Singling out a particular playlist in the book which maintains songs that contain 100 to 130 beats per minute are best for achieving high alertness when you need to focus on an important work project. Sample tunes in that category include “Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2, “Lady Madonna” by the Beatles, “Goodbye Earl” by the Dixie Chicks, “Sweet Dreams” by Marilyn Manson and “Don’t Phunk with My Heart” by the Black Eyed Peas.

Mindlin states though that selecting specific songs is a very personal experience. “What’s right for you might not be right for someone else,” she said. “Some people love the classical genre, but some people get excited by pop. The idea is to activate as many brain areas as you can.”

Professor Galina Mindlin, is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and supervising attending physician in the department of Psychiatry at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center.

You can order the book by clicking on the link below.

Your Playlist Can Change Your Life: 10 Proven Ways Your Favorite Music Can Revolutionize Your Health, Memory, Organization, Alertness and More

Read more: www.dnainfo.com

It was bound to happen and now it seems it finally is. Facebook, the world’s most popular social networking site is set to be to floated on the Stock Markets. The Company is to file for an Initial Public Offering next Wednesday and according to reports Morgan Stanley is likely to be the agent behind the transaction.

It is estimated that when Facebook puts it’s shares up for public ownership, it will make the site worth between $75 billion and $100 billion.

CEO and founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg owns 24 per cent of the company and at present his wealth has only been measured in theory. However, when the Company floats it is believed this will change and his value of the shares he holds will be worth up to $24 billion.

It is also speculated that Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, who own between 1.25 and 2.5 per cent of the company, would also see her wealth soar. Her stake in the Company could be worth up to a staggering $2.5 billion.

The expected float could also spell good news for U2 duo Bono and The Edge and may potentially be worth over a billion as it is widely understood their investment wing Elevation Partners, owns a 1.5 per cent stake in the site an astronomical increase on the $210 million it paid for shares in November 2009.

One thing which was not included in the last story about Brad Pitt and I feel is more than worthy of mention is of his recent comments about his depression which would help put the content of the previous story into a clearer context.

In a candid interview with Hollywood Reporter the movie star spoke of his difficulty in coping with the illness.

The Moroccan trip which helped him “get off the couch” as he says himself, and of which he says he “sought out” the U2 singer after a visit there were responsible for much more than was initially revealed about his life. As yet, we are unsure if Bono suggested he undertake the trip to Morocco or if it he went there purely on his own advice.

While Pitt’s movie star status got elevated in the 1990′s, with films such as ‘A River Runs Through It’,'Legends of the Fall and Seven, catapulting him to global fame, his personal life declined.

Pitt had this to say himself of those years and times:

“I got really sick of myself at the end of the 1990s: I was hiding out from the celebrity thing; I was smoking way too much dope; I was sitting on the couch and just turning into a doughnut; and I really got irritated with myself,” he says. “I got to: ‘What’s the point? I know better than this.’ ” Pitt wrestled with dark thoughts: “I used to deal with depression, but I don’t now, not this decade — maybe last decade. But that’s also figuring out who you are. I see it as a great education, as one of the seasons or a semester: ‘This semester I was majoring in depression.’ I was doing the same thing every night and numbing myself to sleep — the same routine: Couldn’t wait to get home and hide out. But that feeling of unease was growing and one night I just said, ‘This is a waste.’

Then the trip to Casablanca in Morocco, in the mid-to-late 1990′s happened and this is what the attribute to bringing about the change in his life he so desperately needed;

“Where I saw poverty to an extreme I had never witnessed before, and we talked about inequality and health care, and I saw just what I felt was so unnecessary, that people should have to survive in these circumstances — and the children were inflicted with a lot of deformities, and things that could have been avoided had become their sentence. It stuck with me.” Almost overnight, he decided something had to give. “I just quit. I stopped grass then — I mean, pretty much — and decided to get off the couch.”

You can read the full interview on Hollywood Reporter

Friday, January 27, 2012, 19:17

Pitt thanks Bono for humanitarian advice Washington: Brad Pitt has credited Bono for helping him become the man he is today with his humanitarian advice. The movie star admitted to a leading daily that he “sought out” the U2 singer after a visit to Morocco made him realise just how severe poverty was in certain areas of Africa.

The life-changing trip forced Pitt to “get off the couch” and join Bono and the other celebrities who attempt to make a difference in the world. “I sat down with him a few times and got involved in some of the stuff he was doing,” a website has quoted him as saying.

And Pitt reveals it was shortly after that he met his current partner Angelina Jolie on the set of ‘Mr ‘n’ Mrs Smith’. “That may have been one of the things that brought us together. Certainly, I’ve met very few people more dedicated than she is. She is always studying issues, daily. She has such compassion for the people she works with,” he revealed.

Then Pitt knew exactly what to do when Hurricane Katrina swept through his adopted New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005. “There was a responsibility to make it right, which was not being answered wholly, so I decided to make that a focal point and help families return home, and in the process we started discovering the inadequacies of low-income housing,” he stated.

Later the actor co-created the Make It Right Foundation in 2007 and began designing and building cost-effective housing for those left homeless by the storms.

ANI

http://zeenews.india.com

Peter Rowen in Clive's backyard in the 1990s

By Ken Sweeney Entertainment Editor

Tuesday January 24 2012

HE’s the ‘Boy’ that U2 made famous with the album of the same name. But cover star Peter Rowen grew up to be a teenage skateboarder.

He and his elder brother Clive were part of the gang of pioneering skaters that sprung up around an iconic skate shop in Dublin.

The craze kicked off in the mid-1980s when ‘Back To The Future’ introduced skateboarding to a wider audience — but the formative Irish scene relied heavily on imports and innovation.

Now the explosion in Irish skateboarding, and Mr Rowen’s part in it, is recalled in a new documentary called ‘Hill Street’.

At its heart is the skate shop Clive’s of Hill Street which Clive Rowen opened in 1984 near Temple Street in Dublin’s north inner city.

The former bike shop rapidly became a meeting place for skaters who built temporary ramps on the street and began doing ‘flip kicks’ outside to the astonishment of locals.

“There are seven boys in my family and we always loved things with wheels on them. And because my dad sold bicycles we would have had lots to work with. Lots of bits and pieces so I think that’s where Clive’s thing with skateboarding came from,” said Peter Rowen (37), whose other brothers include former band members of the Virgin Prunes, Strongman and artist Guggi.

Soon the skaters had graduated to a temporary skate park in the Top Hat Ballroom in Dun Laoghaire, south Dublin.

But Clive Rowen (54), right, who still runs ‘Skate City’ in Temple Bar, cannot take all the credit for popularising the pastime in Ireland — actor Michael J Fox also played a part.

Most of the now middle-aged skaters interviewed for ‘Hill Street’ revealed how they were first inspired by a scene in the 1985 film ‘Back To The Future’.

“There’s a moment in the film when Michael is back in the 1950s and creates a skateboard from snapping a trolley in two. The whole of Ireland was watching, and we have Michael J Fox to thank for all the skaters and skateboards parks we have in Ireland now, ” said documentary producer Dave Leahy.

But with no skateboards on sale in Ireland, enthusiasts had to rely on shipping them in from overseas.

“Everybody seemed to have a relative in the US who sent them over a skateboard because they weren’t being made in Ireland during the 1980s. Thousands of them must have shipped over,” added Mr Leahy.

Whereas those skaters only had one or two parks to practice, there are now 37 around the country.

“The funny thing is that a lot of the young guys who began skateboarding in the 1980s are still skateboarding now, aged 40, in these parks, right next to young kids who are only getting into skateboards now,” said Mr Leahy.

Legendary US skateboard star Tony Hawk visited Ireland to see the fledgling scene here during the 1980s.

He is among the skateboarders featured on ‘Hill Street’ which will be screened at Irish cinemas in the spring.

Peter Rowen, who featured on the cover of several U2 albums including their debut ‘Boy’ (1980), aged eight, is now an award-winning photographer.

- Ken Sweeney Entertainment Editor

www.independent.ie

U2′s former studio in Dublin’s Docklands is to be the setting for a new generation of tech start ups from Ireland, Europe and America, which will include Iain MacDonald, the founder of Skillpages.com, who previously sold Perlico, a telecoms company; Elaine Coughlan, a partner in Atlantic Bridge and Conor Stanley, a founder of Clearscape and investor in Bloom Equity.

It is proposed the new programme will help domestic and international start-ups bring their first products to market.

The new venture called Startupbootcamp will be launched in Dublin this week.

The location for the Start-ups will be in The Factory, on Dublin’s Barrow Street, near Facebook and Google’s European headquarters, in a building previously used as a rehearsal space for U2.

Eoghan Jennings, the former chief financial officer of online business networking company XING, has also invested in the project, as well as co-founding Startupbootcamp, which is already up and running in Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

“What we’re doing is entirely privately funded,” Mr Jennings said, “and it will help develop innovative start-ups, from places like Brazil, Lithuania, Poland, the UK and even California in the United States, here in Dublin.”

On December 20th of last year, this website celebrated it’s fourth birthday.

Although perhaps on of the lesser known U2 fansites, I do strive to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on U2.

In early 2010, the site suffered a serious setback when it was hacked and it had to be started again from scratch. Quite a lot of quality content was lost because of it and it upset me very much personally. But it was not enough to justify quitting this website. Since then, I’ve tried my utmost, whenever possible to keep the site updated with relevant news content and only recently I put the forum back up.

This site is literally a one-man show and my hope is for that to change. I’m always pleased when I see the numbers of visitors here increase. And increase they always do.

Last year the site received 2,820,253 hits. In 2010 it received 1,309,741 hits. In 2009 1,956,868 hits were recorded and in 2008, 1,116,918 hits were registered.

I would like to convey my thanks to you all for visiting this website and I am delighted that all I do here is not in vain. I am proud to be a U2 fan and to be in the company of fellow fans every day is an amazing feeling.

There is something incredibly unique about our fraternity and I have made some very good friends over the years purely on the basis of being a fan of the greatest rock band this world has ever known.

And yes, I did raise a toast to you all on the 20th. And it was with champagne.

Thank you all for your company, support and friendship on this remarkable voyage we make together with U2 as our navigator.

Here’s to the next four years and beyond.

This will probably take a few hours before all comments are back in place.

New comments will not be affected.

Thanks for your patience while the site undergoes this process.

SINGER Damien Rice paid almost half a million dollars at a charity auction at the weekend for a signed guitar that belonged to Bono, which the U2 star donated to raise funds for earthquake-stricken Haiti.

“The Blower’s Daughter” singer Damien Rice bid for the signed guitar of Bono’s at the the Cinema For Peace event held at the Montage Hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday night last in aid of the J/P Haitian Relief organisation.

The charity event was attended by a host of A-list stars that included George Clooney, Hillary Swank, Oprah Winfrey, Demi Moore, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Julia Roberts and Kim Kardashian.

Damien is known to be a very good friend of Bono’s and back in November of 2011, he covered U2′s song “One,” for the compilation album “AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered” which was released to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of U2′s Achtung Baby.

And as recent as Christmas Eve last Damien took to the streets of Dublin along with Bono, Glen Hansard and Liam O’Maonlai to do some busking in aid of homeless charities The Simon Community and the Peter McVerry Trust. Also in December of last year, his song “Cannonball” was used as the winner’s single on The X Factor (UK series 8). Little Mix, the winners released the song.

The amount bid by Damien Rice was one of the highest paid for any of the items sold at the auction. Another item secured at the auction was a trip to Hawaii with Sean Penn, for which Julia Roberts’ husband Danny Moder placed a $50,000 bid on that was accepted.

Sean Penn also accepted the job of “ambassador at large” for the Caribbean nation of Haiti on the night – he was offered the position by the nation’s foreign minister Laurent Lamothe at the event and told the crowd: “I do accept [the job],” before adding it would be nice to be “called, ‘Hey Mr. Ambassador.’ ”

The New York Times reports that the event raised $5 million for Haiti, and this included a donation from Oprah Winfrey who offered to match any contributions up to $2.5 million.

It’s still in it’s infancy so expect some changes to be made over the next while, especially on the theme front.

You may visit it by clicking on the Forum link in the navigation links on the homepage or alternatively use this link

If there’s anything you’d like me to add that’s not already covered, do wing me an email with your suggestion or post it in the comment box below.

Anyway, that’s it for now. I know you’re probably thinking that’s exactly what the world needs another U2 forum…(sarcastically laughs) and you’re probably right as the net is already awash with enough U2 Forums and ones long established and reliable for fans to frequent. Still though, I thought it may serve as an addition to this site and allow for more interactivity among the U2 Community that visit here.

Time will tell if I’m proven right or not.

Take care all.

Declan

Toronto, ON, October 11, 2011 – Self-proclaimed music lovers and long-time U2 fans, Dayna Shereck and Tami Falus, have brought their passion to life with General Admission “Layin’ it on the Line” for U2; a documentary revealing the ultimate U2 fan experience.

Fascinated with the subculture of U2 fans who opt to camp-out for thegruelling and intimate general admission experience, Shereck and Falus join the group of diehard fans who have invested 50+ hours into a U2 show, before the band has even hit the stage.

These two first-time filmmakers decided to make this film with the mandate to capture the U2 fan experience, demonstrate the level of kinship within the line and explore the continuously changing dynamics of the general admission line.

The film follows Shereck and Falus through their experience as line leaders, holding the coveted “number one” and “number two” positions for a Toronto U2 show. They examine the idiosyncrasies of this complex fan organized process as the filmmakers immerse themselves into the world of the general admission line.

With a shared love for U2 and a sense of community that reaches international scales, General Admission places a microscope on a whole subculture of people that often relive the general admission experience on a regular basis.

Bonafyde Productions presents: General Admission “Layin’ it on the Line” for U2; an insider’s view of the dynamic general admission experience for one of the biggest bands of all time.

For more information about General Admission, please visit http://www.generaladmissionthefilm.com.

Here’s the trailer for the documentary:

I’d like to thank you all for your continued support of this website during 2011 and I do hope in 2012 that you’ll continue your support and that together we’ll go from strength to strength.

May 2012 be an exceptionally good year for you and may you continue to know good health, happiness and prosperity throughout the year.

Thank you again, for making this all so much worthwhile and I’ll leave the final words of the year to Scotland’s own Robert Burns.

Goodnight all and God Bless.

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
Sin’ auld lang syne.

Chorus

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne.

Chorus

And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.

Chorus

By Louise Hogan

Tuesday December 27 2011

THERE’S not much you can get one of the world’s most famous rock stars for Christmas.

Except, perhaps, a 24-hour breather.

Everything was rosy yesterday for U2′s Bono as he stepped out in suitably-hued shades to enjoy his annual St Stephen’s Day jaunt to the Leopardstown races with family and friends.

“I got a day off for Christmas,” Bono revealed with a smile, as he wrapped an arm around his wife Ali at the entrance to the pavilion.

The welcome day of rest came after a meeting with the big man himself, Taoiseach Enda Kenny; a rocking Christmas party for staff of the band’s management at Harry’s Cafe Bar on Dublin’s Hanover Quay and a bout of Christmas Eve charity busking on the streets of Dublin in recent days.

Upstairs yesterday, Bono and clan — including his daughters Eve and Jordan — were sitting with filmmaker Jim Sheridan.

Nearby, artist Guggi, accompanied by sons Eliah and Noah, revealed he didn’t know which horse he was going to have a flutter on as he pondered the seven-race card.

But those in the know — including former Agriculture Minister and former bookie Ivan Yates — were also left a bit puzzled after one of the well-backed horses, Bog Warrior, took a lot of punters’ money with him as he took a tumble in the big race of the day. Bog Warrior is owned by Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, who was nowhere to be seen yesterday.

“We missed the one we wanted,” admitted Mr O’Leary’s brother, Eddie, as the Gigginstown stud secured two winners in Leopardstown, two in Limerick and another up North. But many punters were happy enough as their favourite man to follow, trainer Willie Mullins, instead delivered Blackstairmountain safely home.

“I’m having a lovely Christmas but no winners,” smiled actor Stephen Rea, as he studied the form with trainer Mouse Morris in the owners’ and trainers’ bar.

“I’ve been working on ‘Underworld 4′ with Kate Beckinsale. It is about werewolves. You can’t move but for vampires and werewolves. I think I’m becoming a werewolf,” he laughed.

Earlier in the day, the bookies sent three fellows running to lay off a “big bet” on Touch Back, owned by Limerick businessman JP McManus, who flashed past the post in the first race.

Dail Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett revealed he had to “stand down” as a steward for the sixth race of the day as he owns a whisker of the so-called Dail horse, the 11-4 favourite Donnas Palm.

“I’m told the horse is feeling better than the owners are today,” joked one of the 12-owners, former TD GV Wright, with no sighting of syndicate member Brian Cowen.There were also plenty of eyes on the television screens, including those of racing commentator Ted Walsh, as jockey son Ruby Walsh delivered the veteran Kauto Star first past the post across the seas in Kempton to a historic fifth triumph in the esteemed King George VI Chase.

“It was one of the worst St Stephen’s Days in history for the bookies,” Hayley O’Connor from Ladbrokes revealed, as professional punters and seasonal racegoers had a flutter on Kauto Star.

But, after snow called a halt to the St Stephen’s Day festivities last year, there was a hint of the good auld days in the air. The festival continues today.

- Louise Hogan

http://www.independent.ie

Here’s some of the clips of the event that were uploaded to YouTube.