THIS DAY - U2'S HISTORY : January 21

How Adam became the quiet member of U2 / U2 guitarist Edge backs music course to create next generation of stars

How Adam became the quiet member of U2 - January 21, 2011 - Having kept the birth of his first child from public knowledge for a year, Joe O'Shea wonders how Adam Clayton keeps such a low profile. How does Adam Clayton do it? How does he make a living as one-quarter of the biggest rock band on the planet and still remain so enigmatic and under the radar? The revelation this week that the 50-year-old U2 bassist and his "mystery girlfriend" welcomed a baby boy into their lives almost a year ago surprised all but those closest to Clayton and the band. As columnists scrambled to get more details on the mother (she is French, aristocratic, independently wealthy and a brunette) the U2 press-office issued a one-line confirmation that, yes, Adam has finally become a father. And Clayton, the last of the U2 men to enter fatherhood, has decided, for the moment at least, to leave it at that. While fellow rock royal Elton John was on the cover of US and UK celeb-mags with his partner and new son this week, we have yet to even learn the name of Adam's Eve. U2's bassist is hardly in the same category as Elton John when it comes to fame. But the musician who once said he was "pretty shy in school" and "played the class clown as my defence mechanism" has, since leaving his wild days behind him, achieved the kind of zero profile normally enjoyed by Trappist monks. And this is a guy who stands next to Bono for a living. Being in Bono's shadow obviously helps. U2 may be a democracy in terms of the music but Clayton, along with The Edge and Larry Mullen, has been mostly happy to let their frontman stand in the limelight. We do know that the mother of Adam's child shares her famous partner's aversion to the public eye, taking great pains to shield her face from photographers as the couple left one of U2's Croke Park gigs in July 2009. The couple have been seen in one or two Dublin hangouts, including the trendy Town Bar and Grill. But Clayton, who only ever seems to pop up above the radar by accident, has benefited from the code of silence that surrounds U2. For all of Bono's strutting on the world stage, the four members of the world's biggest rock group have been either brilliant or brilliantly lucky at keeping their private lives mostly out of the pubic arena. We do know where they live, their interests outside of their music careers (world peace, hats, motorbikes) and the basic details of their family lives. source: independent

U2 guitarist Edge backs music course to create next generation of stars - January 21, 2013 - Pic: The Edge admires 10 year old Chris Farrell's beanie hat at the Department of Education this morning at the announcement of a funding initiative by the Department of Education, the U2 and Ireland Funds, supported by National Music Education Programme for Music Generation to develop music education in Ireland. U2 guitar legend The Edge has praised the work of education programme Music Generation for making music a must among young people. The Edge said: "Over the years, there has been a tendency for music not to be the top priority, but the great thing about Music Generation is that it's putting it back where it needs to be." Explaining why he chose to help when U2 rarely its name publicly to such initiatives, "I think we felt this was something that would be enhanced by the association. In most cases it isn't, so it's not appropriate, in this case we really wanted to put our name to it, we feel strongly about this." He was launching 'Developing Diversity in Music Education in Ireland' - a new two-year partnership between St Patrick's College, and Music Generation, which is the national music education programme funded by U2 and the Ireland Funds and local agencies). Based at the Music Department of St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, under the principal investigator Dr Patricia Flynn, the new research programme will provide valuable information about music eduction in Ireland in order to address a knowledge gap in this area. Tony O'Dalaigh, chairman of Music Generation, said: "The initiation of the research partnership marks and important milestones in the evolution of Music Generation, the impact of which will inform and shape long-term development and sustainability." Established in 2009, Music Ireland helps young people and children access high-quality subsidised music education in their area. source: independent - video: youtube