It includes a July 24 stop-off in Croke Park, which Hot Press understands is likely to turn into a three-day run with additional shows on the 25th and 27th if the first one as expected sells out.

The trek gets underway on June 30 in the Barcelona Nou Camp, with Milan, Paris, Nice, Berlin, Amsterdam, Gothenburg, Chorzow, Zagreb, London, Glasgow, Sheffield and Cardiff all being visited before the trek crosses the Atlantic for a similar number of American dates.

Support acts along the way will include Glasvegas, Elbow, Kaiser Chiefs, Snow Patrol, Black Eyed Peas and more to be announced.

If you want to get a taster, 360.u2.com has a virtual tour of the revolutionary 'cylindrical' stage, which will enable the band to perform completely in the round.

Croke Park tickets are expected to go on sale on or around Friday March 20. There will be at least 10,000 tickets at every venue priced €30, with 85% of the tickets priced at less than €95.

Meanwhile, the band have reached No.1 in the UK and Ireland album charts with No Line On The Horizon.

Reaching for the ranks of The Beatles and Elvis Presley – the latter of which holds the No.1 album record with 15 – U2 hold the top spot in the UK for the tenth time since 1983's chart-topping War.