‘I’m ashamed & I have lost all respect for Bono!’
COUGHLAN BLASTS U2 FRONT MAN FOR ALLEGED LINKS TO ISRAEL
EXCLUSIVE: STAR WON’T CALL FOR CEASEFIRE, SAYS MARY
IRISH music legend Mary Coughlan has launched a blistering attack against Bono over his alleged links to several Israeli companies.
In an astonishing broadside against the U2 singer, Coughlan said she is “ashamed of him”.
“I have lost all respect for him,” Mary (68) fumes to the Sunday World.
“Forbes magazine has said he has probably made more money in the past 20 years from his investments in Israeli companies than he did in music.
“Every single person in the music business that I know in Ireland feels the same way about U2 now.”
It has lately emerged that when U2 live-streamed parts of its North American tour via a trendy new app, that the firm behind the innovation was Israeli company Meerkat, who also supply the Israeli military machine.
It is also claimed an Israeli bank recently gave a loan worth $45 million for the purchase of Dublin hotel The Clarence, which was co-owned by Bono and The Edge.
Bono has in recent months appealed for peace worldwide, including in Gaza and Israel and said “it’s shocking to see what the children of Abraham are doing to each other”.
INVESTMENTS
He added on stage: “Suffering of Palestinian children after we saw the suffering of the Israeli children. It’s almost too much.”
His appeal has not met favourably from Coughlan.
“I’m just absolutely grossed out by the whole lot of them (U2),” stormed Mary, whose hits include Ancient Rain and I’d Rather Go Blind
“There was a little bit in the Irish Times a while ago, and I didn’t pay much notice of it. Then a few people said to me ‘do you not know about Bono and Meerkat, and Bono and all his investments over the years?’.
“Then I just started digging and was amazed to see all these links to Israel.
“First of all, everybody was surprised he wasn’t up on his high horse, because he is about everything else.
“Then it slowly seeped out that there were all these Israeli connections he had, with banks and investments
“Even in December last year, after the whole thing, he invested in a huge Israeli start-up company. That says it all really.”
Asked if Bono might join calls for a ceasefire, she sighed: “He should be [but] he won’t, he’s obviously not right minded. That’s all I have to say.”
She added: “Look at Hozier. Every f**king night before a gig he makes a speech about Palestine, which is absolutely great to see. And he has denounced American involvement in it and everything, and he’s getting huge cheers every night for it. Fair play to him.”
When Ukraine was invaded by Russia Bono and The Edge made their way to Kyiv, where they played in a subway station and met Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
When Hamas massacred 1,200 Israelis on October 7, Bono highlighted at a U2 show in Las Vegas how many of them had been murdered at a music festival and that they were “our sort of people”.
Asked would she say what feels to Bono’s face, she replied: “I would. I have nothing to lose. I don’t know why people are holding back. ‘Bono the Great’ is no more. I’m so disgusted, I’m sorry.”
She pointed out how the likes of Macklemore has released a new song sympathising with protesters in American universities and donating the proceeds to Palestinian charities.
CONTEST
She said Bono would not act similarly.
“No, he won’t. He’s pro-Israeli and that’s that. He’s pro-IDF (Israeli Defence Forces)... no matter what way you look at it.”
On Friday Mary joined dozens of top Irish musicians in Galway at the concert ‘Shine On Palestine: The Alternative Eurovision’, in response to Israel being allowed participate in last night’s contest.
“I’m 68 and I’ve been watching Eurovision for the past 60 years or more, when we got a television,” she explains. “But Israel should not be allowed take part, given what’s going on.
“We have been doing these gigs for a long time. The first every Eurovision Palestine gig was in 2017 in the (National) Stadium, so we have done a few of them.”
She said it was “no surprise” Israel are being allowed stay in – unlike when Russia was kicked out after invading Ukraine.
“Israel are sponsoring the whole thing, Moroccan Oil (a tanning lotion),” she claims. “That’s says it all, whitewashing or artwashing.”
Besides herself, others who took part in Friday’s concert included Mundy, Sharon Shannon, Steve Wall and members of the Saw Doctors.
“Everyone was great, Mundy played with Sharon Shannon at the end and then three of the Saw Doctors turned up. We had a mighty night,” she says.
“I did an anti-war song that was written by a German solider at the end of the last world war, which was translated into English. I did Let It Be Me, which is a beautiful blues number. I also did A Weak Heart. It’s up on a Go Fund Me page for various charities.”
The Sunday World contacted representatives in Dublin and London for U2.
l To learn more about the fundraiser see www.idonate.ie/event/shineonpalestinealternativeeurovision
‘Every single person in the music business that I know in Ireland feels the same way about U2 now’