Synopsis

U2 race through the corridors, cells, stairways, and grounds of Dublin's Kilmainham Gaol as "A Celebration" plays. Bono leads the frantic escape, dancing and moving through smoke-filled rooms while the other band members appear in separate parts of the prison. Bursts of light accompany their passage through doorways, and the performance is intercut with images of demolition, children on horseback, and an outdoor setting filled with smoke. The result is a rough, surreal portrait of liberation and youthful defiance.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed at Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin in April 1982, shortly after "A Celebration" was recorded and released as a non-album single between October and War.

• Kilmainham Gaol was chosen for its strong connection to Irish history, including the 1916 Easter Rising. The prison had closed in 1924 and was later preserved as a museum.

• Larry Mullen Jr. explained that the escape imagery reflected U2's own struggle to break through after being dismissed by record companies and critics.

• The footage combines the band performing in the prison with images of collapsing buildings, smoke, and children riding horses, giving the inexpensive early-1980s production an intentionally post-apocalyptic atmosphere.

• "A Celebration" was reportedly U2's third music video. It remained relatively obscure for many years and received an official HD remaster on the band's YouTube channel in January 2021.

• The video received the top music-video honor in the 1982 Hot Press Awards, while the song itself later became one of U2's most frequently performed non-album tracks.