Bono has confirmed that U2 will play in Ireland at the end of November after the band found a way to reformat their current tour to suit an Irish venue. A full announcement of exact dates and venue will be made this Wednesday.

Speaking to Irish Times writer Brian Boyd, the author of the soon-to-be published book U2: Experience, Bono said: “We are coming home . . . it was really hard to figure out a way of doing it, but we just had to make it happen.”

Bono was speaking just after coming off stage in Turin on Saturday night following the band’s second show in the Italian city.

“We found a way to reformat the show, to literally rebuild it for the Irish shows," he said. "It got to the stage where we just had to tell our people “You have to make this happen, you have to make this work, this is where we are from and we have to bring the tour home.”

Earlier, U2 revealed that they are looking at shows in Belfast to finish their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE European tour because there are no indoor venues in the Republic which can cater for their unique stage set-up.

Speaking to the Press Association at the start of the tour in Turin, guitarist the Edge said it would be a "huge disappointment" if U2 were unable to play Ireland and that "every effort" is going into making Irish shows a reality.

The Irish Times reports that the tour was scheduled to end in Paris on November 15th but the band has now has extended their European run to accommodate the long-awaited Irish shows. Speculation is focussing on three Dublin dates in late November.

“I am so happy we are bringing this home,” Bono said. “These Irish shows will be like an Irish wedding. It is always tricky planning a wedding - who sits besides who could ruin it!”

At a press conference to launch the Turin shows last week, The Edge spoke about U2's relationship with their Irish fans. "It's a home crowd and they know us better than anyone else. They know all the references better than anyone else.

"I would say it's the most appreciative and in some ways also the toughest crowd, because they know what to expect. They've high expectations."





Click on the video links to watch U2 in action in Turin.