U2 Guitarist Becomes Irish Citizen After 62 Years in Ireland

The Edge has finally found what he's been looking for after more than six decades: Irish citizenship. "I'm a little tardy with the paperwork," the woolly-cap-wearing U2 guitarist, born David Howell Evans, told reporters on Monday following a ceremony in the County Kerry town of Killarney, explaining that he'd moved from the UK's Essex to Ireland when he was just a year old, per the Journal. "But the time is right. And I couldn't be more proud of my country for all that it represents and all that it is doing."

Evans, 63, one of U2's founding members, has always considered himself Irish, even though he was born in England to Welsh parents. His other three U2 bandmates—Bono (aka Paul Hewson), Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton—are also Irish, and many of their songs, including "Sunday Bloody Sunday," have gone on to become Irish anthems of sorts, per the Guardian. Evans said the "straightforward" citizenship process took a couple of years to get through once he started it, even though it took him some time to get going.

"Honestly, there were many moments in the past when I could have done it with just the form to be filled out, but I'm happy it's now," he said. "It feels more significant, it feels more meaningful." He added at Monday's ceremony that it was "a monumental day for all of us," and that he was "just so happy to be ... in even deeper connection with my homeland." The BBC reports that's not the only good news for the U2 boys: They're apparently recording together again, making new music after an eight-year hiatus. (More the Edge stories.)