By Maureen Coleman

20 June 2005

 

Tens of thousands of Ulster rock fans are expected to travel to Dublin this weekend for U2's three massive homecoming concerts.

 

The band will play a trio of gigs in Croke Park on Friday, Saturday and next Monday, attended by an estimated quarter of a million people in total.

 

Tickets sold out in a combined time of three hours and 50 minutes.

 

U2 are currently on the European leg of their Vertigo world tour and have played around 30 gigs out of 114 dates.

 

The European leg kicked off on Friday, June 10, in Brussels, with support from Snow Patrol.

 

The Northern Irish indie band will again support them on the first of the three Dublin gigs, along with Irish punk outfit Radiators.

 

Support on the Saturday night comes from singer/songwriter Paddy Casey, while Downpatrick rockers Ash will join them on Monday night along with New York's The Bravery.

 

The Northern invasion of Dublin is set to begin on Thursday evening, with thousands of fans packing into the city for the first of the three gigs on Friday.

 

Hundreds of buses will leave Belfast on Friday morning to travel southwards and gardai have advised motorists to drive with caution.

 

In Dublin itself, hotels and guesthouses are full, with many charging increased prices for the weekend.

 

An internet trawl of accommodation in the city found there were few rooms to spare.

 

The Clarence Hotel, in which Bono and The Edge are shareholders, said it had standard superior double rooms still available for Friday night at �?50, but none for Saturday and Monday.

 

However, the following weekend, the superior room is not free but a bigger room, the deluxe double, costs less at �?05.

 

The Harcourt Hotel is fully booked for the 24th and 25th and is being paid �?34 for a double room with breakfast. The following weekend it is charging �?60 for the same room with breakfast.

 

Meanwhile Bono has claimed that U2 pay "millions in tax" to the Irish state, despite widespread belief that the band pay nothing under the Artists Tax Exemption scheme.

 

He said the band had tax breaks on their publishing - one third of their income - but still paid tax on millions earned from concert tours and CD sales.