Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl delights fans with family ties to the band during visit to Dublin

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl unknowingly fulfilled a family connection for one fan as he posed for a picture in Dublin on Monday.

Rohl went to the Ballsbridge Institution’s Roly’s Bistro for dinner last night, and on the way out he stopped to take photos with some staff and customers.

Among them was Sligo native Carmel Breheny, who was having dinner with a friend and then bumped into the rock legend.

Ms Breheny’s late brother Joe worked as a lighting designer and his last job was with the Foo Fighters.

Joe, or “Joe Lights” as he was known, was diagnosed with cancer and missed the European portion of the band’s tour due to undergoing chemotherapy. He died of the disease in 2009 at the age of 42.

“He was disappointed to miss it because he loved working with them. My brother toured with a lot of bands and he always said that the Foo Fighters were one of the nicest bands to tour with,” Carmel said.

“When my brother was buried we brought his remains back to Sligo as he wished and at the grave the last song we played was a Foo Fighters song.

“So, last night was the right time, the right place, for me as a fan, but Dave Grohl will never know how much it meant to me… It just feels like it comes full circle when that happens. “

Grohl celebrated his 54th birthday on Saturday, but why he’s in Dublin right now remains a mystery.

The singer has previously opened up about fleeing to Ireland following the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Speaking of Graham Norton Show In 2021, Grohl recalled picking up a hitchhiker in Kerry wearing a Cobain t-shirt.

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He saw the encounter as a sign that he had to “stop running” and return home to form the Foo Fighters.

The band last toured here in 2019 and they currently have no upcoming Irish gigs scheduled.

Ms Breheny said staff at Roly’s Bistro were “very discreet” but some of them also asked for a quick picture, including one who had the Foo Fighters as their screen saver.

She said Grohl was “consistently nice” to everyone he met and “made it so easy.”

“Oh my god he was so nice, couldn’t have been nicer. He was so charming and so patient for a man who was literally kidnapped by people like me,” she said.

“I was very excited to meet him because I’ve been a fan since the Nirvana days and he just seems like a really nice guy. You just get this feeling from him, he was a guy who went about his business quietly but was happy for the fans to get their photos.”

That assessment was shared by Roly’s co-owner Paul Cartwright, who said Grohl was “very friendly, very approachable and a nice guy”.

Ms Breheny described herself as a musical “anorak” who likes “any kind of music” but every time she hears the Foo Fighters on the radio, “her ears prickle” because of Joe’s association with the group.

“They say don’t meet your heroes, but I’m happy to say that this was a very nice experience — short and sweet,” she added.