The Edge, U2's Guitarist, Becomes Irish Citizen After 62 Years There
'I'm a little tardy on the paperwork,' the English-born musician, whose real name is David Evans, told reporters at the ceremony on Monday. 'I've been living in Ireland now since I was 1 year old, but the time is right and I couldn't be more proud of my country for all that it represents and all that it's doing.'
A representative for U2 did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
More than 7,500 people were granted citizenship in a series of ceremonies Monday and Tuesday in Killarney in County Kerry, nearly 200 miles southwest of Dublin, according to the Irish government. Applicants from over 140 countries made a declaration of fidelity and loyalty to the state. Since 2011, more than 200,000 people have received Irish citizenship.
Evans, 63, was born in Essex to Welsh parents and moved to Ireland as a young child.
The band formed in 1976 when Larry Mullen Jr. tacked a 'musicians wanted' ad to a bulletin board in Dublin, according to the band's website. The group — Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton (bass) and Mullen (drums), then all teenagers — practiced in Mullen's kitchen.
U2 became perhaps the most recognizable and successful rock group from Ireland and is considered by many fans there to be something of a national treasure. At the citizenship ceremony, Evans said that Ireland was showing 'real leadership' on the world stage and that his becoming a citizen couldn't have come at a better moment. 'I have always felt Irish,' he told reporters, saying he was happy 'to be in even deeper connection with my homeland.'
Evans said the application process took a couple of years but was ultimately straightforward.
'Honestly there were many moments in the past when I could have done it, with just the form to be filled out, but I'm happy it's now,' he said. 'It feels more significant, it feels more meaningful.'
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