‘Quite exotic' – Brian O'Driscoll shares funny run-in with Bono and Robbie Williams at swanky London hotel
BRIAN O'Driscoll happened to only be the second most famous Irish person staying in his hotel as he revealed Bono and the rest of U2 were also guests.
The rugby legend didn't share why he was in London himself, but did remark that the rockers were in the English capital in order to receive an honour at the Ivor Novello Awards for songwriting.
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Earlier this month the 46-year-old was inducted into Leinster Rugby's Hall of Fame
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U2 pose with their Fellowship of The Ivors Academy Award
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
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Robbie Williams received a Music Icon award on the night
Credit: Reuters
At the outset of his weekly segment on
O'Driscoll laughed at that introduction as he noted that was only if you consider London to be exotic.
He did then add though: "It's quite exotic in my hotel because the Ivor Novello Awards are on outside and U2 have literally just arrived in the last five minutes.
"Robbie Williams is here as well. I bumped into his manager who it turns out is an Irish guy.
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"He said Robbie is getting an award today which I didn't know so actually, it's *quite* fancy."
The four members of
Upon receiving the Fellowship of the Ivors Academy, the loftiest award on offer, front man Bono gave an acceptance speech whilst guitarist The Edge played an acoustic version of Sunday Bloody Sunday in the background.
Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, then used the platform to plead for an end to violent atrocities committed by both sides in
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Referring to arguably their most famous song, he explained: 'I used to introduce this next song by saying it was not a rebel song.
"It was because believing in the possibilities of peace was then, and is now, a rebellious act; and some would say a ridiculous one.
Shocking moment enormous brawl breaks out in rubgy league after 'horrendous hit'
'To believe peace was attainable between your country and ours, between our country and itself was a ridiculous idea.
"Because peace creates possibilities in the most intractable situations and lord knows there's a few of them out there right now.
'Hamas, release the hostages, stop the war. Israel, be released from Benjamin Netanyahu and the far-right fundamentalists that twist your sacred texts.'
In addition to that, the 65-year-old begged for the protection of aid workers.
Hailing them, he continued: 'The best of us. God, you must be so tired of us, children of Abraham, in the rubble of our certainties.
"Children in the rubble of our revenge. God forgive us.'
Sunday Bloody Sunday was of course originally written in tribute to the victims of Derry's Bloody Sunday on January 30, 1972.
Bono has previously dedicated another of the band's biggest hits, Pride (In The Name of Love), to those killed while
That Hamas offensive escalated the decades-old hostilities between factions in Israel and Palestine.
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