State Papers: U2 U-turn put Irish diplomats in ’embarrassing situation’

The documents also state that U2 were in consideration for playing a free concert to 400,000 people at the Eiffel Tower to mark its centenary — after an expression of interest by then Paris mayor Jacques Chirac.

Irish officials thought they had five times as many free tickets for a U2 tour of the United States, with newly released Government files revealing that diplomats were left in an "embarrassing situation".

Management for the Dublin rock band had engaged with the Department of Foreign Affairs ahead of their 1987 Joshua Tree tour and offered to include "key people" on the guest list for a range of shows.