skip to main content

Iconic Windmill Lane U2 wall saved by a whisker

Parts of the Windmill Lane graffiti wall could be yours
Parts of the Windmill Lane graffiti wall could be yours

Wall you (literally) can't leave behind. Music fans will soon be able to put in a bid for an iconic piece of Ireland's rock 'roll heritage - the Windmill Lane graffiti wall beloved by U2 fans the world over.

Pieces of the wall are to be auctioned off by the Movember Foundation to raise funds for men's health projects.

However the restored sections may be of interest to only very well heeled fans as they are expected to fetch up to €30,000 each!

Earlier this year it was confirmed that Windmill Lane studios, where U2 recorded their debut album Boy along with parts of the Joshua Tree was being demolished to make way for a new residential and office building.

A wall covered in graffiti from U2 fans from around the world was retained as a reminder of the history of the site.

Thanks to help from the Movember Foundation - best known for raising money and awareness of prostate and testicular cancer by encouraging men to grow taches and beards each November for charity -  the developers allowed a number of sections to be preserved.  

Before being broken up into sections, Movember invited several leading Irish street artists, to add their own signature to the decades of existing graffiti.

Neil Rooney, Movember's Irish Country Manager, said,

"For decades, Windmill Lane was an eccentric jewel-in-the-crown of Dublin's musical and artistic landscape. Movember has always been about finding innovative ways to fundraise, so when we learned that this important piece of Dublin's cultural history was to be lost forever, we thought that maybe there's a way to preserve it for future generations, and at the same time raise vital funds for men's health."

Anyone (or more likely any business) that fancies getting their hands on a piece of rock 'n roll history can contact the charity movember.com/windmilllane.

Read Next