A PORTRAIT of Bono stolen from a Dublin gallery has been returned to its rightful owner — three years after it was nicked.
Gallery owner Frank O’Dea came across the acrylic painting of Bono and wife Ali in an online marketplace.
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The piece, by artist Tom Byrne, was stolen on November 23, 2019, from outside the Balla Ban gallery in the Westbury Mall.
Frank told The Irish Sun: “I was inside dealing with a customer when the painting got nicked. It was a lovely work and got lots of attention from passers-by.”
Artist Tom told us: “I was raging when my picture got nicked but when I told friends they said, ‘Isn’t it something that people like your art enough to rob it.’
“I suppose they’re right.”
Despite the disappointment of losing the painting, Frank never gave up hope of finding it again.
Sure enough, the picture re-emerged this month.
Frank said: “It’s a fluke. I was scanning Adverts.ie last Thursday and I saw it. Tom’s painting. Our painting.”
According to Frank, the seller was entirely innocent. He told us: “He told me he had bought the Bono picture online a few years back and would be happy to surrender the artwork.”
The painting was brought to Pearse Street Garda Station where Frank collected it this week.
He told us: “Seeing as Bono is a supporter of the Simon Community, I’m going to sell it and give them all proceeds.”
Separately, Billie Eilish recently made a bizarre confession after U2 star Bono sent her flowers.
The international star thought Bono was from Pennsylvania because of a joke from The Office.
Billie was in Ireland last summer as part of her Happier Than Ever world tour.
Bono had sent her flowers to her hotel room while she was staying in Dublin.
However, his kind gesture was overshadowed by Billie’s confusion as to why he would send them there.
Speaking to Office Ladies Podcast, Billie explained: “I’m in my hotel and I get flowers delivered to my room and it has a little letter on it.
“And it’s this, really, really sweet letter and it says, ‘From Bono.’ And I was like, ‘Why would Bono, who’s from Scranton… why would he send me something in Ireland? What does that have to do with him?’
“And it said, ‘Welcome to my hometown’ or something like that. But U2 is from Scranton.”
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