GUBU, part three: the Taoiseach and the murderer

Ireland in the 1970s was a country in transition. At Mount Temple Comprehensive, Paul ‘Bono’ Hewson, Larry Mullen jr, Adam Clayton, Dave ‘The Edge’ Evans and his older brother Dick found freedom through music, friendship and creativity. In this episode the band, then called Feedback, experiment with a line-up that includes two female backing singers who didn't think much of the band. Host Róisín Ingle talks to classmates, teachers and cultural commentators to trace the evolution of Feedback into The Hype, exploring the forces that shaped them. And as the band make one final name change that will define their future, we hear from the brother who took a different path. Story Lines is the home of audio storytelling from The Irish Times. Drummer Seeks Musicians: The Making of U2 is presented, written, researched and produced by Róisín Ingle. Editing by Rob Sutton. Additional production by Suzanne Brennan. The podcast is dedicated to Donald Moxham. Thanks to the staff at Mount Temple, to U2 and to everyone who took part in the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is 50 years this month since 14-year-old drummer Larry Mullen stuck a note on a school noticeboard looking for fellow musicians to form a band. That note led to U2. In this three-part podcast series to mark the 50th anniversary, Róisín Ingle traces the formation of the band in a school on the northside of Dublin through interviews with their classmates, teachers, friends, family and band members. Why did U2 happen in Mount Temple? And how are Bono, Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton still friends and still making music together fifty years later? Drummer Seeks Musicians is a remarkable origin story, told by the people who were there from the very beginning. From Mount Temple Comprehensive to the world stage, this is the story of how U2 began. Episode one goes back to the radical experiment that was Mount Temple Comprehensive School on Dublin’s northside in 1976, where fifty years ago 14-year-old Larry Mullen pinned a note on the school bulletin board.  That note brought together Larry, Adam Clayton, Dave ‘The Edge’ Evans and Paul ‘Bono’ Hewson of U2, four teenagers who were destined to become one of the world's biggest bands. Róisín talks to the people who were there - the ones who nearly made the band, the teachers who supported them and the classmates who watched it happen. We hear about the architect of a remarkable school and discover the back stories of Paul 'Bono' Hewson and Larry Mullen Jr.  Story Lines is the home of audio storytelling from The Irish Times. Drummer Seeks Musicians: The Making of U2 is presented, written, researched and produced by Róisín Ingle. Editing by Rob Sutton. Additional production by Suzanne Brennan. The podcast is dedicated to Donald Moxham. Thanks to the staff at Mount Temple, to U2 and to everyone who took part in the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A note on a school noticeboard. Four teenagers. One extraordinary story. In this three-part podcast series, Róisín Ingle traces the making of U2 through interviews with their classmates, teachers, friends and band members. From Mount Temple Comprehensive on Dublin's northside to the world stage, this is the story of how U2 began. Episode one will be available on this podcast feed on Monday September 21st. This podcast feed is the home of narrative storytelling from The Irish Times. irishtimes.com/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two veteran journalists, Stephen Collins and Joe Joyce, sit down with Irish Times political correspondent Harry McGee to talk about how they remember the shocking events of 1982 that were sparked by murderer Malcolm Macarthur and that impacted Irish politics and the man at its centre, Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey. This bonus episode was recorded to mark the publication of a book that builds on GUBU, the podcast. The Taoiseach and the Murderer by Harry McGee is available now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Malcolm Macarthur is convicted but the scandal and conspiracy theories continues. What becomes of Malcolm Macarthur, and the two other people drawn into his murders, Charles Haughey and Patrick Connolly? What ultimately motivated Macarthur to do what he did: to kill two young strangers during the sweltering summer of 1982.  GUBU was first published in 2022. It is reported and presented by Harry McGee and produced by Enda O'Dowd. This podcast feed is the home of narrative storytelling from The Irish Times. irishtimes.com/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.