Ali Hewson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Alison Hewson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alison Stewart 23 March 1961 Dublin |
| Residence | Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Other names | Ali Hewson |
| Education | B.A. in Sociology & Politics |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Religion | Church of Ireland (Anglican) |
| Spouse | Bono (Paul Hewson) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents | Terry and Joy Stewart |
Contents
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Biography
Ali is the daughter of Terry and Joy Stewart, and a granddaughter of Hector Grey, a well known Dublin trader and shop owner. Alison grew up in Raheny, a suburb located on Dublin's Northside, and she studied at Mount Temple Comprehensive School where she met Bono.They began dating in November 1975. Soon after the death of Bono's mother, Stewart took care of Bono, cleaning his clothes, going to school with him, and cooking for him.She married Bono on 21 August 1982 in a Church of Ireland (Anglican) ceremony at All Saints Church, Raheny.Together they have four children: daughters Jordan (b. 10 May 1989) and Memphis Eve (b. 7 July 1991), and sons Elijah Bob Patricus Guggi Q (b. 18 August 1999) and John Abraham (b. 21 May 2001).
The family now lives in Killiney, in south County Dublin, Ireland. They also have a villa in Èze in the Alpes-Maritimes in the south of France with U2 bandmate The Edge, as well as an apartment at The San Remo in Manhattan.
Career
Although she wanted to become a nurse, Hewson gave up her career ambitions to foster her relationship with her new husband. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Political Science from University College Dublin (UCD) in 1989, shortly after giving birth to her first daughter, Jordan. Before that, Hewson worked in a motor insurance company, and with her father, in his electrical business.Hewson is a founder of the EDUN fashion label, which encourages fair trade with third world nations and the abolition of sweatshops and child labour. She is also co-founder of Nude skincare with Bryan Meehan, a luxury, natural skincare company.
Activism
Hewson is a patron of Chernobyl Children's Project International, an organization accredited by the United Nations that works with children, families and communities who continue to be affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. She participated in Greenpeace protests against the Sellafield reprocessing plant and narrated Black Wind White Land, an Irish film which highlighted the plight of victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. She also participated in the film "Chernobyl Heart" with Adi Roche.In addition to her own work, she has travelled and appeared with Bono extensively when participating in activist events such as campaigning against third world poverty.
Hewson and U2
The U2 song "The Sweetest Thing" was given to Hewson as a gift because Bono forgot her birthday while writing and recording with the band during The Joshua Tree sessions. She appears in the song's music video and received income from its sales. She gave all proceeds to Chernobyl Children's Project International.Furthermore, Bono dedicated U2's song "All I Want Is You" to her.References
Further reading
- Flanagan, B. (1996) U2: At the End of the World. New York: Delta.
- Stokes, N. (2001). Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every U2 Song. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press.
Sweetest Thing
U2
My love, she throws me like a rubber ball
(Oh, the sweetest thing.)
But she won't catch me or break my fall.
(Oh, the sweetest thing.)
Baby's got blue skies up ahead
But in this, I'm a raincloud
You know she wants a dry kind of love.
(Oh, the sweetest thing.)
I'm losin' you, I'm losin' you
Ain't love the sweetest thing?
I wanted to run, but she made me crawl
(Oh, the sweetest thing.)
Eternal fire, she turned me to straw.
(Oh, the sweetest thing.)
I know I got black eyes
But they burn so brightly for her
I guess it's a blind kind of love.
(Oh, the sweetest thing.)
I'm losin' you, I'm losin' you
Ain't love the sweetest thing?
Ain't love the sweetest thing?
Blue-eyed boy meets a brown-eyed girl.
(Oh, the sweetest thing.)
You can sew it up, but you still see the tear.
(Oh, the sweetest thing.)
Baby's got blue skies up ahead
But in this, I'm a rain-cloud,
Ours is a stormy kind of love.
(Oh, the sweetest thing.)
