U2 perform impromptu Grafton Street gig following Mount Temple homecoming

Then they roared and cheered when they caught the first glimpse of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen on the balcony of Bewley’s on Friday evening.

Word had spread that a big name would play a special pop-up gig out onto the street.

Speculation that it would be U2 mounted given the rock stars had staged a dramatic return to their former school for a special schoolyard gig earlier in the day.

People scrambled for the best spot on Grafton Street while both left and right sides of the Bewleys building filled with people from 4.30pm onwards.

Paying homage to their 50-year legacy, the band delivered tunes that had everyone in the crowd — particularly those old enough to remember — reminiscing in the good old days.

As well as some of their biggest hits, they also remembered their close friend and fellow musician Glen Hansard by performing a rendition of Falling Slowly.

The collective harmonies echoed through to neighbouring city centre streets as people sang along to Vertigo.

Earlier, it had been a Beautiful Day for those lucky to be at the band’s former school where they played a secret schoolyard gig marking 50 years since the band was formed.

Those lucky enough to make it past the gates of Mount Temple Comprehensive School witnessed history unfold as U2 took to the stage in the very schoolyard where it all started for the band.

People gathered at the school entrance, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen once word got out about their secret performance.

As spectators gathered, students in the buildings surrounding the schoolyard peered out the windows, soaking in the atmosphere – the realisation that one of the most successful bands in the world was about to perform at their school sinking in.

More than 900 students gathered in anticipation, holding handmade signs filled with messages of support, alongside teachers, members of the press, and family and friends, including the band’s former manager of more than 30 years, Paul McGuinness.

Taking the audience back to 1976, Bono reminisced about memories from the very spot where all four members of the band had once stood, and thanked those at the school who had an impact on their lives.

He recalled a moment when the band realised that maybe all they needed around them was just underneath their feet – in their schoolmates, school community and wider community.

“Then there is a wider community around this rock and roll high school. Most people can point to a single teacher who changed their life or shaped their life. Around here it’s way more than a few. But we would like in this moment to remember Jack Heaslip,” he said, before thanking other influential figures from the school who were in the crowd.

Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen formed the rock band in 1976, after an advert was placed on the Mount Temple noticeboard by Mullen seeking musicians to form a band.

Fifty years after that advert was posted, the four returned to the schoolyard with 21 Irish number one singles under their belts – more than any other act.

The band played some of their biggest hits during Friday’s secret gig, including I Will Follow, Vertigo, Beautiful Day, Out of Control, Silencio and One, accompanied by 32 students from Music Generation.

After leaving the stage, chants of “one more tune” echoed off the surrounding buildings until the band returned for an encore of With Or Without You, prompting tears and embraces among those watching.

Members of Music Generation, the country’s national music education programme, also joined U2 for the performance. The programme was established in 2010 and is funded by the Department of Education and Youth, alongside U2 and The Ireland Funds.

Bono acknowledged the more than 110,000 music lessons provided through Music Generation across the country every week and commended the talent of young people.

“This island is full of song and music and mischief, and we are so proud to be Irish. You should know that,” Bono said before the band broke into a performance of One.

The Music Generation members then had their moment to shine, playing the introduction to the song on cellos, harps and violins.

The secret gig not only marked the band’s 50-year legacy and a catalogue stretching from Boy and War to The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby, but also the announcement of their new album, Carnaval De Luz, due for release on November 13.

The album is their first release in nine years and features the late country music singer Dolly Parton duetting with Bono on the album’s final song, Torn.