Where The Streets Have No Name: Dublin’s U2 Wall

All that’s left is the iconic graffiti wall, and even that might be gone soon. Windmill Lane Studios has been a hallowed ground for U2 fans, serving as the band’s hometown studio since their 1980 debut, Boy.

Temple Lane South © Inge Hogenbijl | Dreamstime

It was originally used for traditional Irish folk music, like the band Planxty, but after U2, Windmill Lane’s repertoire expanded to pop, rock and soundtracks, and the studio became the de facto center of the Irish music industry. After Boy, a number of critically acclaimed artists made Windmill home: Def Leppard, Sinead O’Connor, Kate Bush, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison and more. U2 also recorded October and War at the studio before it underwent major renovations for the production of the band’s seminal Joshua Tree album.

Windmill relocated to a more modern location in Ringsend. Helmed by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, Joshua Tree was an ambitious undertaking by the band. The album had a cinematic sound to it, necessitating a more advanced studio to make it possible, eventually producing the hits “With or Without You,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “Where the Streets Have No Name.” The record is still their best selling album at 25 million sold worldwide, and it is arguably their best work as well, transforming the band from rock stars into legends.

The U2 Wall, Windmill Lane Studios © Matt McGee | Flickr

Van Morrison acquired the studio for personal use in 2006, but the original site’s significance was lost on legions of U2 fans around the world. Over the past three decades, scores of people have come to the Dublin Docklands to mark their love for the band on the former studio’s wall. It was become quite the landmark in rock history, and lots of U2 fans were outraged after developer Hibernia REIT planned to have the location torn down for an office block. In true U2 fashion, the voice of the people was heard, and the developers decided to figure out a way to preserve the wall.

Its fate still hasn’t been decided. Some want it to remain standing, while others have speculated they will sell some of the bricks to charity and preserve some of the wall in a new location. That means you only have a limited time to see it in its original form, so get yourself to Dublin before it’s rock history.