New 1978/1979 Dates in Show Archive

Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2025-12-08)

One of the sections of U2Songs.com that we are always working on is the show archive section, documenting U2’s earliest performances to their most recent. We’ve been working on U2’s tour history for 26 years, contributing to a number of sites over the years, and also contributing to the third edition of U2 Live: A Concert Documentary (2003) by Pimm Jal de La Parra, before launching our own archive here in 2018.

It’s always exciting when we can add to that knowledge of U2’s shows. Recently we’ve uncovered a couple of ads for U2 performing in Ireland that are new to us, and neither show are listed in other online U2 archives. One show is from 1978 and the other from 1979. As complete as we think our knowledge of U2 is there is always new information bubbling to the surface.

On October 1, 1978 U2 performed at Munster Arms, a hotel in Bandon, Ireland. Bandon is located South West of Cork. The show was advertised in local papers, and read “U2, Dublin, new wave rock ‘n’ roll. Good ‘Hot Press’ write up. Come early.” If the band played the show, it followed a show at the Arcadia Ballroom in Cork the night before.

Almost a year later, September 24, 1979, “U-2” are listed playing at The Bridge Bar in Ballinasloe, Ireland. Fans are invited to “rock with U2” and the cover price is 1.00. It’s entirely possible the band played this show as no other show in our archive lands on that date.

Like most early dates, there is little information about these other than the ads in the local papers. It is unknown what the band would have played, or anything else about the shows.

How did I find the dates? Back in April I was in Dublin and had the opportunity to do some research on a second book I am writing about U2. I was interviewing someone who had been familiar with the band in the late 1970s and he mentioned some cities he was sure they had played which sent me looking for proof. These two dates listed above are just the first that I’ve found evidence of thanks to that conversation and some research in the local press. I am currently looking into other places that were mentioned as well.

Throughout our tour archive we’ve worked to ensure we have the most accurate information possible about the places and locations that U2 have played. In many cases we’ve gone back to the original source material, and you can see these efforts throughout the archive. As you go through the Early Shows you will find scans of the original press advertisements of U2’s early shows and through these efforts we’ve been able to clean up a lot of mysteries about those early days. We keep our friends at U2Gigs.com in the loop as well as we update and make changes to ensure fans using either resource are finding the correct information.

For those interested, my first book, U2: Song by Song is part of a series via Fonthill Media. The second book is progressing, and I hope to have further news soon.

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