U2 museum in Dublin is back on track. The Irish supergroup’s old studio at Hanover Quay is set to become one of Ireland’s top tourist attractions.
Fans of the Irish mega-band U2 have been begging for a heritage centre for years. The band has shared their enthusiasm and a visitor and exhibition centre to showcase their work has been on the cards for several years. The band aim to create a four-storey cantilevered building on the site of their recording studio in Hanover Quay.
U2 has now applied for planning permission detailing a three-storey over basement building. The overall floor area stretches to 2,684 square metres.
The band recorded albums such as Pop and All that You Can’t Leave Behind at the present studio, located at 15-18 Hanover Quay. The studio will now be demolished and replaced with a reconstruction of the original studio, along with an exhibition centre.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) bought the studio in 2002. The original plan was to level the site as part of the dock’s development. The studio was set to be relocated in the nearby 32-storey U2 tower. However the economic crash stopped the development.
In 2014 the band bought the studio for themselves, in a deal worth around €450,000. A planning application, described as a ‘U2 Visitor and Exhibition Space’ has been submitted by Golden Brook Limited and MHEC Limited, reports the Independent.ie.
The museum will become a showcase for a huge range of U2 memorabilia. It will also feature an auditorium and a café.
Another major development with U2 links
Another major development in the Hanover Quay area was also recently announced. A new 20-bedroom boutique hotel is proposed for the site next to the U2 museum. It has been planned by property developer Harry Crosbie on the site of his current home. The hotel, to be called ‘Number 9’ will include a bar and restaurant. Bedrooms will have balconies with waterfront views. Crosbie and his wife, Rita, are good friends of U2.
Images courtesy of U2
https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-news/u2-set-to-build-visitor-and-exhibition-space-in-dublin-city-centre-37052189.html
