John Dolan: A national treasure, so why do the Irish detest Bono so much?

Here’s a fascinating little debate you can have right now with a friend - sat on your barstool, on your sofa, or in a coffee shop.

Name me three living Irish people who can be classed as national treasures.

To help you out, I’ll give you a definition: A public figure regarded as being emblematic of a nation’s cultural heritage or identity.

I would broaden that, and define a national treasure as someone who has achieved enduring greatness in a chosen field, who has been a figure of public interest for a long time without blemish, and whose appeal is multi-generational, indisputable, and widespread.

I imagine President Michael D. Higgins would be in many people’s top three, but probably the only political candidate. That field is just too tribal to claim a national treasure.

Who else?

Tricky enough, don’t you think?

Christy Moore perhaps. And Mary Robinson. Both are in the right demographic, and the latter’s career has transcended politics

I can think of a good few who nearly make the cut.

From acting, I would suggest Liam Neeson, Fiona Shaw, and Brendan Gleeson are just a few years short of the national treasure title. Ditto for comedians and the likes of Tommy Tiernan.

Writers? Roddy Doyle has the making of national treasurehood for sure, but not just yet.

Sport? I can hear lots of your calls for Roy Keane, surely destined to be a national treasure in the future - but for now his appeal is just too parochially Cork, and too divisive. After all, his exit from Saipan was only 8,392 days ago!

I would contend we have lost a good few national treasures in recent years, such as Maeve Binchy, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Gay Byrne, Sinead O’Connor, Ronnie Drew, and Seamus Heaney.

That’s why I insisted on naming living national treasures!

How about music? Wee Daniel O’Donnell? Hmm, not for me.

What if I was to suggest that Bono should be a shoe-in for national treasure?

I can hear the vitriol from here, but yes, this is a hill I am prepared to, if not die on, then at least endure a few slings and arrows on.

Bono totally deserves the monicker of national treasure, he has earned the respect and love of everyone in this country, but, bafflingly, he just doesn’t reap it. Why?

What is it about Bono that rubs up so many Irish people the wrong way?

After all, his credentials for greatness are beyond dispute.

Just look at his track record with U2: One, Pride (In The Name Of Love), I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, With Or Without You, All I Want Is You.

That’s just five songs, but the talent box of qualification for national treasure status is already ticked.

The band’s lyricist and frontman, Bono was the face of Ireland and its people throughout the dark 1980s, when this nation’s economy and The Troubles make today’s global woes look minor in comparison.

He was an icon in the ’90s and into the noughties too - U2’s longevity and status as the greatest band in the world for at least a decade are also beyond dispute.

Not only that, despite all the money, adulation, and success, Bono didn’t go down the predictable drugs and sex and rock’n’roll route.

Instead, while he had the world’s ear, he embarked on a plethora of campaigns, from world hunger to Third World debt. There was barely a cause he didn’t embrace, barely an issue he didn’t try - and often succeed - in alleviating.

His marriage is a great, enduring love story too, and he is a family man to the core.

Sure, in his heyday Bono was earnest and hopelessly over-exposed at times. And, as the face of U2, he also took a lot of flak for their tax arrangements. Then there was that dodgy mullet.

But is all that a reason to deny him the status of national treasure - to decry his achievements, never mind hate on the man?

Bono ought to be basking in love, being cherished by all ages in Ireland - but older generations who grew up to his music seem to have abandoned him to his fate, and younger people can barely hide their contempt for him. Even musicians, old and young, cannot find a nice thing to say about him these days.

Last week, when the Belfast rap group Kneecap were taking flak for comments reportedly made on stage about Tory MPs and terrorist groups, the TV and music svengali Sharon Osbourne urged them to be “more like Bono”.

Kneecap retorted: “Would rather be a Rangers fan tbh...”

Ouch. Really?

Kneecap are as well-known now for their stance on Israel/Palestine as they are for their music, and Bono has indeed been much criticised of late in relation to that conflict.

Which is odd, because, as Sharon Osbourne pointed out: “Bono is pro-Palestine. He goes on, he talks about Palestine. He does it in peace, god bless him.”

The U2 star has been criticised by musicians of late for dedicating a song on stage to the Israeli victims of the Hamas October 7 attacks, and for his alleged business links to some Israeli companies, which seems pretty poor ammunition to me.

However, the main bone of contention among the small but very vociferous cohort of Irish people for whom the ongoing tragedy in Palestine has become an obsession, is that Bono is guilty of a ‘sin’ of omission rather than commission.

He is perceived to have been too silent on the Israeli bombing of Palestine.

So, after decades of being told to stop banging on about world issues, Bono is now being attacked for not speaking out enough!

Here’s a thought. Maybe Bono, who celebrates his 65th birthday today and is almost a pensioner now, has done his bit for global affairs, and is as tired of hearing his own voice as many of his compatriots. Maybe he has made a conscious decision to rein in the preaching.

Or maybe his kids, who are now adults and forging their own careers, have urged dad not to embarrass them any more with his public remarks.

Either which way, Bono deserves to enjoy the quiet life if he chooses, and he certainly doesn’t deserve to be a figure of spiteful disrespect.

This must be an Irish thing. I can’t imagine a Bono in any other country being treated with such contempt by his own people.

It’s like Britain stripping Paul McCartney of national treasure status because he wrote some dodgy songs with Wings and raised the peace salute too many times.

“Yeah, I know Macca was a Beatle who wrote Yesterday, but have you heard Band On The Run?”

Shouldn’t we be better than this? Bono is a good man and a stupendous talent who has been a standard-bearer for Ireland and who loves his country. It’s time we returned the favour.