<P> Irish magazine Hot Press was influential in shaping U2's future; in addition to being one of their earliest allies, the publication's journalist Bill Graham introduced the band to Paul McGuinness, who agreed to be their manager in mid-1978 . With the connections he was making within the music industry, McGuinness booked demo sessions for the group and sought to garner them a record deal . U2 continued to build their fanbase with performances across Ireland, the most famous of which were a series of Saturday afternoon shows at Dublin's Dandelion Market in the summer of 1979 . In August, U2 recorded a three - song demo with producer Chas de Whalley at Windmill Lane Studios, marking the first of what would be many recordings there by the band during their career . The following month, the songs were released by CBS as the Ireland - only EP U2 - 3 . It was the group's first chart success, selling all 1,000 copies of its limited edition 12 - inch vinyl almost immediately . In December 1979, the band performed in London for their first shows outside Ireland, although they were unable to gain much attention from audiences or critics . On 26 February 1980, their second single, "Another Day", was released on the CBS label, but again only for the Irish market . The same day, at the end of an Irish tour, U2 played a show in the 2,000 - seat National Stadium in Dublin . Although they took a significant risk in booking a show at a venue of that size, it paid off; Bill Stewart, an A&R representative for Island Records, was in attendance and subsequently signed the group to the label . </P> <P> In May 1980, U2 released "11 O'Clock Tick Tock", their first international single and their debut on Island Records, but it failed to chart . Martin Hannett, who produced the single, was scheduled to produce the band's debut album, Boy, but ultimately was replaced with Steve Lillywhite . From July to September 1980, U2 recorded the album at Windmill Lane Studios, drawing from their nearly 40 - song repertoire at the time . Lillywhite employed unorthodox production techniques, such as recording Mullen's drums in a stairwell, and recording smashed bottles and forks played against a spinning bicycle wheel . The band found Lillywhite to be very encouraging and creative; Bono called him "such a breath of fresh air", while the Edge said he "had a great way of pulling the best out of everybody". The album's lead single, "A Day Without Me", was released in August . Although it did not chart, the song was the impetus for the Edge's purchase of a delay effect unit, the Electro - Harmonix Memory Man, which came to define his guitar playing style and had a significant impact on the group's creative output . </P> <P> Released in October 1980, Boy received generally positive reviews . Paul Morley of NME called it "touching, precocious, full of archaic and modernist conviction", while Declan Lynch of Hot Press said he found it "almost impossible to react negatively to U-2's music". Bono's lyrics reflected on adolescence, innocence, and the passage into adulthood, themes represented on the album cover through the photo of a young boy's face . Boy peaked at number 52 in the UK and number 63 in the United States . The album included the band's first song to receive airplay on US radio, the single "I Will Follow", which reached number 20 on the Top Tracks rock chart . Boy's release was followed by the Boy Tour, U2's first tour of continental Europe and the US . Despite being unpolished, these early live performances demonstrated the band's potential, as critics complimented the group's ambition and Bono's exuberance . </P> <P> The band faced several challenges in writing their second album, October . On an otherwise successful American leg of the Boy Tour, Bono's briefcase containing in - progress lyrics and musical ideas was lost backstage during a March 1981 performance at a nightclub in Portland, Oregon . The band had limited time to write new music on tour and in July began a two - month recording session at Windmill Lane Studios largely unprepared, forcing Bono to quickly improvise lyrics . Lillywhite, reprising his role as producer, called the sessions "completely chaotic and mad". October's lead single, "Fire", was released in July and was U2's first song to chart in the UK . Despite garnering the band an appearance on UK television programme Top of the Pops, the single fell in the charts afterwards . On 16 August 1981, the group opened for Thin Lizzy at the inaugural Slane Concert, but the Edge called it "one of the worst shows (U2) ever played in (their) lives". Adding to this period of self - doubt, Bono's, the Edge's, and Mullen's involvement in a Charismatic Christian group in Dublin called the "Shalom Fellowship" led them to question the relationship between their religious faith and the lifestyle of a rock band . Bono and the Edge considered quitting the band due to their perceived spiritual conflicts before deciding to leave Shalom instead . </P>

How many members of u2 were born in ireland