U2's The Edge surprises students at Dublin graduation

The surprise appearance of guitar legend had been kept under wraps, so there was rapturous applause when Executive Principal, Dara Kilkenny welcomed the The Edge to the stage of the Tivoli Theatre.

As part of this year's ceremony, the graduates were treated to The Edge's words of wisdom and personal advice drawn from his near 35-year career. Talking about his school days in Dublin he told the graduates: "When we [U2] were in school, we managed to benefit from the tuition of great music teachers. We maintain a strong belief in the idea of music education and that's why we co-founded Music Generation. BIMM Dublin is such a cool thing, and I'm delighted to be here and support what I think is incredibly useful and helpful for the rock 'n' roll scene in Dublin."

The Edge went on to explain that U2's success didn't happen overnight and how they stuck to their guns concerning artistic control:

"Our success came gradually, in fact, we almost got dropped after our second album 'October'. The reason we didn't is rather telling. When we negotiated our first record deal with Island Records, one of the things we really fought for was artistic control. So we had in our contract that we would decide what was on every album and what the artwork was going to be. Plus a whole list of other controls that a young band never got. So the label said if you want those controls, we can't give you the standard advances because you increase the risk level for us. So they gave the bare minimum. We felt strongly about this, so we said fine, and we took low advances and all lived at home for the first few years of the band. Island Records decided to roll the dice with our third album, 'War' and it did well, so we were secure. So, by not costing the label big advances, we saved ourselves."

He urged the new graduates to always remember the importance of attitude, bravery and passion, emphasising that taking risks is crucial.

He also relayed the hard-won wisdom of a rock star who has experienced the positives and negatives that come with being in the biggest band in the world, saying:

"Criticism is your friend. It makes you better. The harder it is to hear, the more useful it is. But keep your ego in check - it’s out-of-control egos that break up bands, not musical differences."

After his speech, Edge then personally greeted each graduate, handing each one a specially commissioned BIMM pin before being given their scrolls from senior staff.

There was more excitement to come in the form of a blistering post-ceremony performance by ALL TVVINS, whose session drummer is final year student, Lewis Hedigan. The band are currently on the crest of a wave with their debut album hitting No 2 in the Irish charts and receiving great reviews, as well as a sell-out gig at the iconic and prestigious Dublin venue, The Olympia. With The Edge casting a watchful eye, they delivered a hugely impressive set.

BIMM alumni include James Bay, George Ezra, Tom Odell, Izzy Bizu,The Kooks, Luke Sital-Singh, Ben Thompson (Two Door Cinema Club), Ed Drewett (singer-songwriter for One Direction), Olly Murs and The Wanted – amongst many others. Between them, they have won Brit Awards, Ivor Novello Awards and scored many UK Top 10 albums and UK Top 40 singles.