by Stephen

I'm always wary of people who claim to be proud of their country. Apart from anything else, how can you be proud of something you have no control over - a mere accident of birth? Yet last Saturday it was almost impossible not to almost burst with pride, on a grassy slope on the banks of the Boyne.

When you think that the UK and US, with their 300 odd million inhabitants, gave the world rock music and so many great artists, and yet on our wee, small island on the edge of Europe, 80,000 of our young - and not so young - people were part of something amazing, as we watched the greatest band in the world to give possibly their greatest ever performance.

It was the ultimate coming together of two great Irish institutions - the band themselves, and the annual concert at Slane. More even than just a sort of homecoming, rather a spiritual homecoming to both the "Wembley" of Irish music and the venue for some of the band's best recordings.

After the excessed of the last two tours, especially Popmart, it was back to basic for the perfect U2 concert. Just two guitars, a drum kit, Bono at his best and 4 screens above the stage for those of us further back (that would only be around 70,000 or so!).

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