Tom Dunne: 'Bob Geldof walking onstage was a watershed moment':
The Boomtown Rats had an incredible impact on the emerging new Ireland of the 1970s
irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-41707199.html
Photo: irishexaminer.com · view article
Tom Dunne: Geldof’s Arrival Marked a Musical Turning PointThe band’s anniversary Best-Of album, The First 50 Years: Songs of Boomtown Glory, is being highlighted this week.
Key FactsSep 18, 2025 · Reading time: ~45 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: irishexaminer.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: irishexaminer.com
- The Boomtown Rats formed in 1975, the year Éamon de Valera died, according to Dunne’s retrospective.
- Dunne first saw the band at Dalymount Park in 1977, performing on a bill with Thin Lizzy.
- After the January 29, 1979, San Diego school shooting, Geldof wrote I Don’t Like Mondays, which reached number one.
- The song was banned in the United States and apparently ended the band’s efforts to break into that market.
"This band, Top of the Pops, Thursday."— Bob Geldof said this about The Boomtown Rats' appearance on Top of the Pops on a Thursday.
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Tom Dunne: 'Bob Geldof walking onstage was a watershed moment': The Boomtown Rats had an incredible impact on the emerging new Ireland of the 1970s
irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-41707199.html
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