By DUNCAN JOHNSTONE - Fairfax Media

Legendary U2 front man Bono will be among a group of A-list Irish celebrities who will watch the All Blacks play Munster tomorrow morning (NZ time).

The match will officially open the impressive new Thomond Park stadium that has been rebuilt at a cost of more than $80m.

And it seems the corporate areas on the night will be filled with some big names. They are led by rocker Bono who is keen to watch the All Blacks strut their stuff after his guitarist The Edge was among the massive crowd at Croke Park last Saturday to witness Ireland get smashed by New Zealand in the test in Dublin.

Others who will watch the Munster match are dancer Michael Flatley, golfer Padraig Harrington (a winner of three majors), comedian Tommy Tiernan and folk singer Christy Moore with the stadium's 20 private boxes in heavy demand.

Limerick is out to make the most of the new facility which replaces the down-trodden park that saw one of the biggest upsets in world rugby 30 years ago when Munster beat the 1978 All Blacks 12-nil.

City leaders here predict the match could inject more than $12m into the local economy. Hotels and guest houses are full and as the All Blacks arrived from Dublin on Sunday Limerick was in party mode with pubs and bars busy.

Sunday Star Times
July 20 2008

Grant Smithies reflects on a time when U2 were an intense young four-piece, not an institution.