THERE’S A LOT of talk on the streets of Ireland about Bono being a pox.

There’s even a blog dedicated to capturing the graffiti around the country outlining the various ways in which Bono might be considered a pox.

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And we’re here to tell you it isn’t true.

It’s Bono’s 54th birthday today and we’re going to present the argument that Bono is actually great. Ready to be convinced?

1. You can’t deny he has written some great music

Alright, so he’s also written some duffs. No one is perfect, and the less said about Lemon the better. But there’s no point trying to deny that there aren’t some absolute bangers in U2′s back catalogue – and what’s more, they do put on a great show when they play live.

Think about the sheer number of hits. Sunday Bloody Sunday, I Will Follow, Where The Streets Have No Name, New Year’s Day, Pride (In The Name of Love), With or Without You, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own, Sweetest Thing, Beautiful Day… And even Vertigo has its place.

(Let us know your favourite U2 song in the comments by the way. This humble DailyEdge.ie correspondent has inexplicable soft spots for Electrical Storm and Discotheque.)

2. He’s always rooting for Ireland

In his own words, and addressing the tax issues:

We live on a small rock in the North Atlantic and we would be underwater were it not for very clever people working in government and in the Revenue who made tax competitiveness a central part of Irish economic life. And that’s the reason we have companies like Google or Facebook – and indeed I helped bring those companies to Ireland.

Apparently he really did and does lobby business leaders around the world to set up their companies in Ireland. And more on the tax thing:

I want to say – we pay a lot of tax. But we are tax sensible – as every business is.

3. He fell off stage once

And seeing it will bring you great, great joy.

4. His relationship with Ali is incredibly sweet

Romantic or not, softie or hard nut, you have to admit that the story of Ali and Bono is very touching.

Bono and Ali met each other in Mount Temple school in Dublin when she was just 12 years old. He was the year ahead of her. He apparently pursued her immediately, but she kept her distance, labelling him an “eejit” – although saying she secretly admired him. When Bono’s mother died suddenly in 1974, they became close and Ali started taking care of him. They were married in 1982 and have been together since, having four kids together.

5. He REALLY does do amazing humanitarian work

We’ve all seen the pictures of Bono shaking the hands of seemingly every head of state in every country in the world.

Schmoozing aside, Bono’s philanthrophy has seen him named “the most politically effective celebrity of all time”. He campaigns and fundraises tirelessly against causes like third-world debt relief, the African AIDS pandemic and fair trade, among others.

PA Archive / Press Association Images PA Archive / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

6. These GIFs from Discotheque

This thrust.

This, er… Whatever the hell this is.

And one more thrust, dressed as a cop, for good measure.

7. You know, he actually CAN slag himself

He’s not the arrogant man he’s often made out to be. Well, not entirely.

When I look my most smug, I’m usually at my most nervous.

RTE RTE

Makes a lot of sense, when you think about it.

Read: The 14 best quotes from Bono’s interview with Gay Byrne> 

Read: 7 of the most annoying things Bono has ever said or done>