A group of students at a Dublin music college received a very unexpected surprise at their graduation ceremony when U2's The Edge arrived to mark the event.
The guitarist took to the stage of the Tivoli Theatre on Thursday during the ceremony for the class of 2016 of the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) Dublin.
The graduation also saw a post-ceremony performance by the up-and-coming rock band ALL TVVINS and graduate Farah Elle, as well as student band Jafaris.
The Edge offered some advice for the graduating students, observing: "Criticism is your friend. It makes you better. The harder it is to hear, the more useful it is. But keep your ego in check - it’s out of control egos that break up bands, not musical differences."
He also observed: "Success can be many different things, and everyone's definition is going to be different. If you try too hard to please the world will lose interest.
"They best way to becoming commercially successful is to ignore the world and concentrate on the work. I'm sure it feels like you still have a lot to prove, but you've already succeeded. You're here, you've graduated, you live in Ireland, and I look forward to seeing you down the road!"
The Edge - whose real name is David Howell Evans - also greeted the individual graduates, who received a special pin alongside their degree scrolls.
BIMM - which also has colleges in London, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester, and Berlin - offers several courses, including the BA (Hons) in Commercial Modern Music.
