The Dublin rock supergroup U2 has stated that they are ‘incredibly grateful’ to receive one of America’s most prestigious cultural awards, the Kennedy Center Honor. Saturday night U2 was honored alongside George Clooney, singer Gladys Knight, composer Tania Leon, and singer-songwriter Amy Grant.  

Dave Evans, commonly known as The Edge, spoke for the group at a formal presentation of the awards that took place at the US State Department. “We are incredibly grateful and proud to receive this honor named after a great American, John F. Kennedy, who also happens to be of Irish descent and this I have to say means so much to us. We had big dreams and like so many people in Ireland, America was the focus of those dreams. There is such a close bond between U2 and this country, and we can’t fully explain it but since that very first gig, we’ve always felt warmth and love, but this tonight goes way above and beyond.” 

After being asked by RTE News how it felt to be honored as an Irish band for its contribution to American culture, lead singer Bono stated, “As an Irish person – as an Irish band – that was amazing.”