Edge Evans should be working full time for the Irish tourist board. He is genuinely one of the most helpful men in this country.

The Daily Star reported that Edge happened to pick up a pair of rucksacks that were abandoned outside Killiney Dart Station. Said sacks contained passports belonging to an American family staying in Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel (for future reference, Dalkey Dart Station is much closer).

So Edge, being a beyond decent sort, got the rucksacks delivered back to the hotel (the hotel address just happened to be on the bags) along with a signed U2 CD and a note saying "Hope your journey ends well."

Of the act, the Killiney Castle Hotel reception manager/PR juggernaut said: "It was amazing because the father is such a huge U2 fan (what are the odds…) and went to see one of their live shows in the 80s. They didn't want really want to publicise it because The Edge had done it privately, but they said it was such a nice story that they agreed to put their photo on our Facebook page."

This behaviour is typical of Evans. When he was recording in Windmill Lane during my stint propping up the reception there, he got stopped by an Italian student on his way into the building one afternoon. The student wanted to know where The Factory was, probably because he heard U2 were rehearsing there. Instead of immediately referring the increasingly excitable Italian to me, like 98% of his ilk would, he started calmly giving directions - "Yes, no problem, just go left at the lights, down Barrow Street and it's on your right."

By the time he said the word "right" the Italian was gibbering, whooping, and pointing, so I stepped in. If I hadn't, Edge probably would've asked him in for a tea while he calmed himself down. He also didn't get me fired when I barged into the studio to hand over a message while he was recording a particularly high vocal. For that I'm eternally grateful. 

Van Morrison could learn a thing or two from him...