Dublin Part Three - More Food - A Green Hen and a Town

10th October

Deb and I nearly getting blown off the penthouse balcony!

We got up at about 9am and pottered about until our breakfast arrived in the room and was laid out for us in the dining room.  It was lovely, and though morning are the times I don't usually have much of an appetite I wolfed it all down! It was sad to pack up our things to leave the penthouse, I doubt we'll ever be back. I went upstairs for one last look, and onto the balcony for a windy photo with Deb, the unseasonally mild weather had definitely given way to a more autumnal chill.. It also meant the end of my birthday celebrations, what a fab time I have had over these last few weeks, I wish I turned 60 every year.

We caught a taxi back to our apartment at Smithfield. Marian was out exploring, she was soon back, it's amazing how many things she managed to see in such a short time, she definitely made the most of her short time in Dublin! Unfortunately she had to return home and we saw her off to the airport later in the afternoon. Afterwards we all went to bed to try and get some sleep as the late night was catching up with us!  I rested, but could not sleep though I really wanted to.

Dianne in The Green Hen

That evening it was our girls night out, and Deb and Dianne were treating me as a last birthday gift, so kind of them as they had already been so generous to me bless them! For our Dublin trip we all chose a new restaurant to go to, tonight was my choice, The Green Hen in Exchequer Street, a French restaurant, can't go wrong with French food with me!  We got a taxi and almost immediately were stuck in a horrendous traffic jam.  The driver told us there was some big event happening in the city that night. We ended up being 20 minutes late for our table though the staff were completely unconcerned at that, I love that Irish laissez faire!

The restaurant was full, posters from old French films on the walls, the atmosphere lively but not too much so that you can't hear each other talk.  I had goats cheese salad with beetroot, walnuts and figs to start and it was scrumptious. Then duck confit with fondant potato, cherries and baby vegetables was equally fabulous it was the most succulent duck I've had! Portions were generous and none of us was able to find room for a dessert, we just had a cappuccino. Also, amazingly we had no wine at all! We all felt it was a very good idea to detox that night lol!

The Duck Confit Main

We had the Early Bird menu which was 19.50 Euros for two courses or 22 Euro for three, excellent value. Service was friendly and attentive, I felt sorry for the servers as they had to run down stairs to bring the food and also up another flight to tables upstairs, they must be fit!

We caught a taxi back to the apartment (no traffic jam this time). Dan had  had a pizza from the restaurant beneath the apartment block which he said was very good, he was pleased to hear we had enjoyed our meal so much. We didn't stay up very late, we desperately needed to catch up on our sleep!

October 11th

A sign in the Docklands

Too soon it was our last full day in Dublin we had vague plans but nothing definite. While in the city it had not escaped our attention that Bono was in town! A mutual love of U2 brought us all together over 20 years ago and because we get along as people and not just as fans, real friendships were borne form this. We did not expect the band to be in Dublin, as far as we knew they were in New York, but no, they were home. So we decided to go to the Docklands and check out their studio there, though we were aware that it looked like they had a new studio in County Wicklow, but we had to check :). We caught the Luas to Mayor's Square in the north Docklands, I can't believe how that area has changed, gone are the derelict buildings and now it's full of apartments and shops and cafes.

We walked over the graceful new Samuel Beckett Bridge and into the South Docklands and into the familiar territory of Hanover Quay. As we expected it was all quiet at the studio, though there was some pretty amazing non-U2 graffiti on the surrounding walls.

We had a leisurely lunch at the nearby Spar and enjoyed what was now a lovely sunny day.  After years of constant change during the age of the Celtic Tiger things were now static, there had been no changes since we had last been there in May 2012. The southern end of the quay still had areas untouched by the bulldozer, and the old, natural stone buildings still looked out over Grand Canal Dock as they have done for many, many decades. Where the concrete works used to be opposite the studio was now just a vacant lot within it's walls. Kind of nice that the concrete, steel and glass structure haven't taken over all of the Docklands.

The Beautiful Samuel Beckett Bridge
and where the big concrete works had been now was just a vacant plot.

We headed back to the Luas stop and then all did our own thing for a while, Deb went back to the apartment, Dianne and Dan went to The Writer's Museum and I went shopping. Later we all met up again at the apartment.

That night it was Dianne's choice of restaurant. It was not actually new to us, but had changed hands and was now called The Town rather than the Town Bar and Restaurant. Inside it had changed very little, it was a bit brighter, but still had the same relaxing ambiance. To start I had warm beetroot and goats cheese salad (for a change!) followed by a very tender beef fillet, cep puree, roasted onion, madeira sauce and colcannon. Again I couldn't manage a dessert, but Debbi and Dan managed to find some room, Deb finds it hard to resist creme brulee! Everyone enjoyed everything they had and though it is quite an expensive restaurant it is top quality. It was so nice to spend the last evening enjoying good food and wine with great friends, some of the best things in life.

We caught a taxi home and Dan got chatting to the driver who was from Nigeria. He said it was hard to learn to find his way round the city because: 1. the names of the street change - you can go down a straight road and at some point it will start to be called something else. I'd never really thought about that before, the same is true in the UK. 2. People often don't know the name of a road that a certain pub or restaurant is on, so he had to learn where all these places were. He also told us that there were 1,200 restaurants in Dublin, so it's some feat to learn where they all are.  Also, it means that there are plenty more new ones for us to try in the future!

October 12th

Dianne and Dan left at 9.30 on their way back to Canada via Heathrow, sad to see them go, but I knew that I would be seeing them again in December, so the parting wasn't as hard as it might have been. Not long afterwards Deb and I vacated the apartment and left our bags with the concierge before heading to The Clarence Hotel for a last drink.  Then it was the usual taxi to the airport, have a meal, mooch round the shops before flying - in a tiny Aer Arann propeller plane - back to Manchester. Sad goodbyes to Debbi, unfortunately she is not coming on the holiday at New Year, so it could be a while before we meet up again, but we still keep in touch a lot online.

So that was it, a fabulous week in Dublin. I want to say thanks to my all my wonderful friends for coming (and a special thanks to Deb for her organising!) it was special to share my official 60th with you all. Can I be 60 again next year??

Dublin 3 - More Theatre, Champagne and The Fabulous Tea Room

May 8th

Samuel Beckett Bridge Under a Moody Sky

One of those blustery days with that fine rain that wets you more than you realise.  We got the Luas to Mayor Square - once we got past the Busaras stop I was astounded by the new buildings both residential and retail that had replaced the previously run-down area.  We walked over the elegant and rather beautiful harp-shaped Samuel Beckett Bridge and down the road to Hanover Quay.  The quay was not much different from last time we were there a couple of years ago, partly full of new buildings, partly undeveloped, there were a lot of "To Let" signs around even on the most derelict buildings. Previously each time we visited there were vast changes but the eastern end is barely developed and there's just a big hole where the now cancelled U2 Tower was going to be built. It felt strange, the Celtic Tiger had come to a stop here, literally butting up against the sturdy stone buildings from the past.

Nothing was going on at Hanover Quay so we got some tea in the Spar shop and sat on the seats beside Grand Canal Dock and ate the sandwiches we had brought with us. The rain had eased and it wasn't cold so it was quite pleasant sitting there watching the seagulls taking their afternoon bath in the water.

The Gaiety Theatre 

We went home and made a meal for ourselves before heading out again - this time to the Gaiety Theatre to see a play called Greener by Fiona Looney.  I love this theatre, built in 1871 it is  gloriously old-fashioned with a stucco embellished Victorian  auditorium in gold, turquoise and white with a huge central ceiling rose from which hung a fabulous candelabra.  We were in the front row of the dress circle, which you reach by a lovely wide wooden staircase.  On the landing there is a fake grass settee which was quite funny and totally out of place! Our seats were excellent, around the back of the dress circle were boxes and "The Gods" tier was above us.  It isn't a large theatre and it has a snug cosiness and a sense of the past about it.

The play was good, it starred Pauline McLynn (Mrs Doyle from Father Ted) as the unhappy Noirin and is about two couples, a lottery win and secrets, it is played out on a set of their dual kitchens. Above are two screens where every now and then text messages appear, from the start you realise something is going because of the nature of the texts but it is not until well into the play you realise two of the characters are having an affair.  The play was funny, with some serious stuff, though I feel that the characters could have had more depth to them. The lottery win brings the chance of freedom, both financial and personal for Noirin, but the grass is not greener on the other side and happiness does not necessarily come with what you think you want.

The theme of marital discontentment ran through both plays we saw in Dublin, I feel that A Galway Girl was the better of the two, it was more emotive and the characters beautifully formed both in word and the acting.

We walked down Grafton Street towards the Luas, some people were still performing there.  Once home we opened a bottle of wine and got out the cheese and snacks - a perfect way to end the day!

May 9th

A really shite day weather-wise, as we have been busy since we came to Dublin we decided to have one of our mega-lazy days.  So we chilled out watching TV and chatting and I strained myself and had a wander to the local shops.  That evening we ate in having lovely tortellini and later popped the cork on our bottle of vintage Veuve Clicquot and savoured every drop!

May 10th

Our last day in Dublin, how fast the week has gone by!  We had a bit of a lie in as we had a late night and then went into the city for a while.

That evening we headed out quite early to The Clarence Hotel as we had a table booked in The Tea Room later and wanted to go to the bar first. When we arrived the General Manager Clinton Attwell greeted us and went into the Octagon Bar with us where we were given the choice of a cocktail on the house, how nice! We went for our mutual favourite, a cosmopolitan. The barman added the burnt orange peel and explained the rationale behind it as he did so.  After a short chat Clinton left us and we relaxed and enjoyed our cocktail, trying to sip it slowly as it is so moreish but also very strong!

At 8pm we went into The Tea Room which, amazingly, wasn't very busy, I don't know why because it is now very reasonable in price and serves fantastic food.  We sat down and a waiter came across with two glasses of champagne for us - on the house!  Debbi had told them in an email that it was the five year anniversary of the time we had stayed in the penthouse and Bono had bought us champagne and that had given us the taste for champers.  So it was so lovely that they did this for us, the service and attentiveness at the Clarence is second to none. The champagne glass had a strawberry on the rim and each time we took a sip we also caught the gorgeous summer aroma of the strawberry.

Champagne Slainte!

We had duck spring rolls to start and they were wonderful four large, succulent!  We both had the ribeye steak for the main, this was accompanied by fries and we asked for an extra portion of mash as we both love it.  The waiter asked if we wanted the mash instead of one of the portions of fries but we said we wanted it in addition to them.  When the main came we saw why, the portions of fries were enormous, and they were so lovely and crisp, I'm not the biggest fan of fries (I prefer proper chunky chips) as they usually end up soggy but these were delish.  The steak was very, very tender and I must say, though the one I had a Marco Pierre White's restaurant was good this one was better.

We had to have a break for a while before dessert but eventually Deb ordered a crème brulee (her fave) and I got a lemon tart with chocolate ice cream - had to have my chocolate fix. Again it was delicious, the lemon tart melted in the mouth and the chocolate ice cream was, well, very lusciously chocolatey!

We got our bill and noticed that the desserts were not on it, Debbi called over the waiter who said that the desserts were on the house also, my we were being spoiled, how lovely of them!  It all made it a very special evening for us, thank you Clinton and the Clarence!

May 11th

All packed and ready to go.  Pat came to the apartment at 10am and we swapped the keys for our security deposit and went to a cafe called The Third Space directly under the apartment complex for our breakfast before heading to the airport.  It turned out to be a very good choice, we had two Irish breakfasts of egg (tasty free range), sausage, bacon, tomato, black pudding, white pudding (which consists of pork meat and fat, suet, bread and oatmeal, it tastes nicer than it sounds and is a bit like haggis) with toast and two teas for E10, a bargain.

It was wonderful to spend a whole week in Dublin, we had time to do everything we wanted and immerse ourselves in the city once more. Next destination, Nice later this year!

U2 Christmas Party

U2 threw the Christmas party for their staff at Principle management on Wednesday 21st December at Harry's Cafe Bar on Hanover Quay.  As well as the staff, The Rubberbandits and Gavin Friday were there.  Apparently also attending were Gavin's dogs Ralph and Stan wearing Santa hats!  I'm sure a good time was had by all!

Photo:  Irish Independent     

House-sitting In Ireland

Back to normal life after my sojourn in Ireland where I was house-sitting for friends in Dun Laoghaire, just south of Dublin. I had a wonderful time, the first two days I was by myself except for my friend's cat Max who I was looking after. For some reason cats seem to like me even though I am a dog person (though I don't dislike cats, just never owned one) and the first evening saw Max, who is very shy, sitting contentedly on my lap.

On Wednesday my friend Debbi joined me and that evening we walked to La Strada, a restaurant in Dun Laoghaire that we have been to many, many times for meals and , as usual, it was lovely.

Next day we did the U2 thing and went down to Hanover Quay to see if the band was around. At first we thought they might be and decided to wait for a while. It was typical changeable March weather, one minute we were basking in sunshine that, now it was officially Spring, had warmth in it. Then a squally shower would suddenly start accompanied by a strong wind that whipped around us in all directions causing havoc to our umbrellas! I said jokingly. "All we need is hail now!" I must be psychic because five minutes later we had a hail shower! That was enough even for us and we called it a day.

That evening we stayed in and got fish and chips which were the largest portions I have ever seen in my life!

Friday morning we got up very early as U2.com said the Wembley 2 tickets were going on sale at 8am. But when I logged on to Ticketmaster it said they were going on sale at 9am, we could have had an extra hour in bed, thanks a lot U2.com! Just before 9am the tickets went on sale but Ticketmaster was too busy, so I went to Ticketline and within a couple of minutes we had our tickets! So easy that we could hardly believe it.

We also decided to bid on the Red Zone auction. There is part of me that doesn't really like something like that - that if you've got the money you can pay to get a great view. But the other part of me really wants to be very close to the band for one show. This time we haven't got many standing tickets, mainly because we feel we can't cope with standing for hours in a queue then hours in the stadium anymore. We've done it numerous times over the years and it is gradually getting harder to do. So, the Red Zone is perfect for us, standing close to the band without the hardship. If we are successful with that we'll hopefully be able to sell our tickets to fans at cost price.

The highlight of our Friday was going for a meal at the Town Bar and Grill in central Dublin. We've been there a couple of times before and the food is wonderful there. It is an expensive place (though worth it) but we did this trip on a budget except for that evening, it was our treat to ourselves. Though we did have a bit of a panic about having enough money for the taxi home so decided to find a cashpoint and get some more money before our meal. We had to walk miles to find one, (well maybe that's an exaggeration but it was a long way, especially when you are really hungry!) but with the extra cash in our purses we knew we wouldn't end up walking the last few miles home later!

The meal was a delicious and well served as ever, the place has a lovely ambiance, low lighting, a piano playing in the background and, despite being expensive has been full every time we have been there.

That meal was a great way to end our trip to Dublin - our next visit will be in July when we are there for the U2 Croke Park! I'm so excited just thinking about it!

The nearest I got to U2 on my recent visit to Dublin!

Two Handsome Irishmen!

Found these really nice photos of Bono and Adam taken by fans have appeared on the Net. They were taken at HQ recently. Adam is looking very good, I'm not a fan of grey hair but I think the silver fox look is great for him and he's looking really well. Bono on these photos is looking great too. It never fails to amaze me at just how different he can look. One day he is drawn, lines etched in his face, seemingly older than his years and then the next day he can look wonderful and almost youthful as in these photos! That man is a real enigma.

Seems Edge and Larry are still keeping a low profile at HQ - in fact I'm beginning to wonder if Larry is really there at all, no one - to my knowledge - has met him at HQ this year! Maybe he's really left U2 and they are trying to hide the fact - even the latest studio video on U2.com didn't show his face did it???

Go here to see more photos of Bono and Adam.

Bono, Edge and Adam at HQ

There are some nice photos here taken by fans very late at night at Hanover Quay - this was the same day that Debbi and I were there, though we had left many, many, many hours before!

Burnt Cleavages in Dublin!

A few months ago my friend Debbi and I were pining for Dublin, I saw really cheap flights advertised on Ryanair and, as we live a short flight away in the UK, we decided to have a day trip over there. I decided on June 10th because that's the date that jumped out at me when I was looking at the calender.

It was so nice to be back in Dublin, though each time I go back there there are so many changes. But I still love the city and it's people.

First of all we went to Sandymount Green, which we love and was how we remembered it, peaceful and relaxing. We found a great little place called Cafe Java where we had a delicious breakfast. It was a gloriously warm and sunny day so we sat in the Green for a while after the meal watching a group of toddlers having great fun playing.

We then caught a taxi to Hanover Quay, and yes, since we'd been there another building had grown from the dust of the old. But the studio was the same, in fact it's the only thing that hasn't changed along the quay. We tried to get a drink at one of the swanky restaurants there but we could not just have a drink, we'd have to have a meal as well. So we went to the Spar and bought drinks and sat at the tables outside for a while.

We then walked the short distance down to U2's studio. There were lots of vans there and one huge lorry, all had something to do with film/video making, so it wasn't hard to guess what U2 were up to today! We also saw Catherine Owens, so it wasn't hard to guess who the director of the video is either.

We saw all the band arrive, Bono honking his horn as he did, but none of the band came out. Rumours are that they are in their last week of recording and very busy so that's probably why they didn't do the meet and greet most of them do regularly. On talking to another fan there she told me that the previous evening she'd met some of the band and that they were really nice but Bono had been very tired.

I never feel the band should come out to meet the fans. To me they should give us good albums and live shows, anything else is a bonus. And I can't complain, I've had two lovely meetings with Bono and Adam last year, so I was not disappointed about no meetings this time. We did get to see Brian Eno who came out to go to the Spar (that shop must be a hot place to see a famous face nowadays). He smiled openly said hello when he came out and when he came back he said,

"Nice day", to us which amused me as it was so British to talk about the weather! There's always something about Brian that reminds me of Adam Clayton and I felt that again then.

During our waiting time I heard a few minutes of Bono singing. It was not loud and often drowned out by the building work and traffic but what I heard was wonderful. It was very melodic and Bono's voice soared - I now know what Eno meant when he was quoted as saying that Bono is singing like a bird. I couldn't hear any accompanying music, just that wonderful voice and I kind of melted inside as I listened, it was just so beautiful!

Ever since we arrived in Dublin, at Sandymount and at Hanover Quay the sun had been shining and it was really warm and we had been out in it. Debbi and I realised we should have had sunscreen on - something not often needed in Ireland! Both of us are very fair skinned and burn easily so we left our jackets on to protect ourselves a bit, but at times it got very hot and we were grateful for the odd cloud that floated along.

We didn't stay long after the band arrived, as we wanted to have a meal somewhere before we set off for the airport. We ended up in Milano one of the new, ultra-modern restaurants on Hanover Quay. We had a delicious Italian meal there that, surprisingly, wasn't too pricey. I can remember when there was nothing at HQ, no shops, no restaurants, no toilets, all there was were businesses. Now with the shop and restaurants things are a lot easier for the U2 fans!

It was while in there we realised we had really caught the sun, especially on our noses and cleavages! That's me flashing my burnt cleavage in Milano in the photo.

This was a flying visit but it actually felt longer than the twelve hours we were there, and it will keep me going until our next proper holiday in Dublin in September.

Bono on Vertigo Radio from Bubblin' Dublin

This is absolutely classic - Bono at his best!

It's buzzin' at HQ

There have been lots of stories coming from the studios at Hanover Quay in Dublin, U2 are in the studio! They have been there at least two weeks and it's said they will be there until the end of this month. With rumours of an album in October/November it's good to see them at work again.

There seem to be fans there from all over the world and Bono, Edge and Larry have been meeting fans regularly. I think Larry is being elusive as I've not read of any stories of people meeting him!

When I read about fans meeting the band like this it makes me realise how lucky U2 fans are to be able to meet them so easily. No burly security men, if you are willing to wait a while you have a good chance of a meeting, getting an autograph and maybe a photo with one of the band. Not many bands of U2's stature would so open and informal with their fans - and you can't get much bigger than U2 in the music world!

I must admit I've been sorely tempted to go over to Dublin myself as I am on holiday from work the week after next. I checked flights and could get to there and back in one day for £20! Luckily, living in the UK means it's easy to do a day trip to Dublin. I'm someone who much of the time is quite sensible, but I do like a bit of spontaneity and madness sometimes so the thought of nipping over appealed to me. But something I read today helped me decide not to go. A fan's report said there were 20 fans at HQ today and I thought, no I don't want to go when there are a lots of fans there, it sometimes can get a bit chaotic then. So, sensible Sue prevailed over spontaneous Sue this time! I'll content myself with reading other fans' stories (which I always love to hear about) and see their photos through the wonderful medium of the Internet.

Writing of photos this funny photo from Hanover Quay has been doing the rounds on the Net, I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose!!!

Dublin - Champagne and the Penthouse

All our trips to Dublin are special, but this week long 2007 trip was more special than usual, we were staying in a rented apartment – but for one night we were going to stay in the Penthouse at the Clarence Hotel – we’d saved for two and a half years for it! Debbi, Dianne, Julie and I were at last back in Dublin for this holiday of a lifetime. It was good to meet up with my friends again; we always just seem to pick up from where we left off when we get back together.

On Tuesday lunchtime we went down to U2’s studio in the docklands. How it is changing there, the gritty griminess and character being replaced by large, anonymous glass and steel buildings. Even the Kilsaran concrete yard was now closed and the famous bench gone. I’m not sure about all the changes in Dublin, so many wonderful old buildings have gone, I feel they should have done more renovation and so kept some of the city’s unique character.

We had no idea whether U2 were at the studio, but not long after we got there Adam arrived. We had a short chat and took photos; as usual he was a real gentleman. About an hour later Bono arrived and not long after parking his car in the garage appeared at the studio door. He made no attempt to come across the road and was clearly waiting for us to come to him so we did. He looked really well and suits the short hair; also its more natural colour is much better for his pale Irish complexion.

He was chatty and asked us various questions including what we had been doing so far on our holiday, we told him about our trip to Brittas Bay the previous day and he said he loved it there. We all got autographs and photos taken with him. We told him about our planned penthouse stay and he asked what we were celebrating and we told him it was a special birthday for Dianne. He was too much of a gentleman to ask how old she would be, I jokingly told him she was 30! He said we'd love it in the penthouse, and after wishing Dianne a happy birthday and saying goodbye he went back into the studio. It’s always so good to meet Bono, he has the ability to make everyone around him feel special and important and we were certainly full of smiles as we left Hanover Quay that day!

A couple of days later and it was our big day at penthouse at the Clarence Hotel; I was wide at 6.30am, very unusual for me! We spent the morning getting ready, we looked like different people in our lovely clothes, we felt like different people too!

The limo was a bit late, the chauffeur couldn’t find us! After I gave directions he was soon there. It was a white stretch limo, black leather seats, plastic glasses for the “champagne” which tasted more like Cava to me. It was all rather over the top for my liking, but still, it was special and that was what this day was all about. We sat inside watching a U2 DVD and drinking champagne as the driver took us on a tour of the city. I really just wanted to get to the Clarence!

When we did get to the hotel we were treated like royalty and shown road the ground floor before getting into the lift up to the penthouse. We were so excited it was hard to remain calm! The staff member showed us around the two floors of the duplex penthouse before leaving us on our own. It was then we could let go and just explore. The penthouse was much bigger than it appears on photos and everything was of the highest quality.

Our complimentary welcome Cosmopolitan cocktails were delivered and we sat down for the first time to drink them. We noticed a bottle of champagne on ice in a very expensive looking Alessi cooler. We didn’t want to open it just in case we had to pay for it so we rang reception and they told us it was complimentary – so we opened it

The penthouse was fantastic, much bigger than it looks on photos and everything of the highest quality. We had welcome cocktails waiting for us as arranged, but there was also a bottle of champagne on ice with 4 glasses which wasn't part of the deal. We checked with reception and were told it was complimentary, so we popped the cork, the champagne was wonderful!

We spent the after just enjoying the penthouse. On the lower level was a sitting room, dining room, two bathrooms, a kitchen and two bedrooms. Along the entire front of this was a balcony overlooking the River Liffey and Dublin. The upper level was reached by a stylish oak and stainless steel spiral staircase. This level was open plan at one end a seated area the other end had a baby grand piano and a very well stocked bar. There was a balcony at the back where the hot tub was. There was also a small balcony at the other end of the loft that gave you a lovely view onto the city.

We relaxed in the hot tub with our champagne, we chatted as we watched DVDs on the huge TV. We could hardly believe that after over two and a half years of saving we were finally in the penthouse.

In the early evening we started getting ready to go down to the Tea Room for our meal. We had bought special outfits and I must say we looked so glamourous – we barely recognised each other!

At 8pm we went down for dinner, we were greeted by a lady who said, “You are looking very beautiful tonight ladies” and we were shown to our table. There was an envelope on the table that the waiter handed to Debbi. She opened it and for a few seconds just stared at it. We all guessed what it was even before she read it out and then passed it round it said "Happy Birthday, love Bono”. Before we had a chance to say anything the wine waiter was there pouring champagne. Debbi asked if it was from Bono and we were told yes. We were so surprised and touched that he'd done
this we were nearly crying! For a while we were speechless and it was a while before we got ourselves together and were able to look at the menu and order.

The meal was wonderful, excellent quality and service. We'd planned to have a very special expensive bottle of wine with our meal so we still had that too. It turned out that we didn't have to pay for that either, all our drinks that night were on Bono. Even now I can hardly believe he did this for us, going to the penthouse was exciting enough, but for Bono to do this made it perfect. We were treated like royalty all night which was rather nice!

After finishing the wine in the Study we went back up to the penthouse. We stayed up all night chatting, drinking wine, having a laugh, making a video and watching DVDs. Sometimes we went out onto one of the balconies to look at the lovely view of the lights of Dublin at night. It felt like we were in another world high above those lights and, really, we were.

We watched dawn break over the city from the balcony and it signalled that our stay in the penthouse was nearly over. I felt sad that it was coming to an end, yet I also felt lucky. Lucky that I could afford to do something like this - even if it meant a lots of saving. Lucky to have three special friends in Debbi, Dianne and Julie to share this with. And lucky to be a fan of Bono, whose thoughtful kindness made our stay at the penthouse at the Clarence Hotel perfect.