Source: Where the streets have no statues: why do the Irish hate U2? | Music | The Guardian
“In other words, the nation’s dislike of U2 is classic Irish begrudgery – the phenomenon that Irish people are predisposed to feel envy and resentment towards those who achieve a certain level of success. Harry Browne, author of The Frontman: Bono (In the Name of Power), believes this theory has some credence. “[There is] a pride in being in the position to take this large object and cut it down to size, which I think is a very Irish, post-colonial phenomenon,” he explains. “I think that’s a big aspect of it.”
The idea of Irish begrudgery is difficult to gauge. Liam Neeson, Saoirse Ronan and Conor McGregor enjoy all the glitzy spoils of being famous but have escaped the same backlash. In rock history, artists such as Thin Lizzy and Rory Gallagher are widely beloved among their countrymen. A statue of Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott stands on Dublin’s Harry Street; there are sculptures and plaques dedicated to Gallagher dotted throughout the island at which fans can bend the knee. If begrudgery plays a part in U2’s unpopularity, it’s uniquely barbed when it comes to the band.”