Editor’s letter

For this week’s cover story, I spent 24 hours in Madrid with U2. It’s slightly disconcerting going into the belly of the beast that is a U2 tour. It’s a vast machine with a powerful centrifugal force at its heart. But they were extremely generous with access, and Bono and The Edge were also extremely generous and open in their interviews. We talked about everything from losing your voice to losing your faith, and there are cameo appearances from Javier Bardem and even B*witched.

If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration this Sunday, you could read Tommy Tiernan on how he gets through days when things seem slow and without meaning. Or you could read about John Joyce on our health pages. John is living with an inoperable brain tumour. But the point is, he is living with it rather than dying with it. His words of wisdom include: “Just be grateful for the gifts that remain. Take it one day at a time and do the things you can do, rather than dwelling on what you can’t... You need to get your head around the fact that it’s about the life you have now, rather than the one you had.”

Or, if you want a shortcut to some soul revival, try Rachel Allen’s chicken and coconut laksa. Brendan O’Connor Editor