?Louis Walsh got the shock of his life last week when Coldplay spotted him in their audience at a London gig. The Westlife manager was attending a show for the Warchild charity headlined by Coldplay and the Killers at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on Wednesday and being Louis, found himself in the pit at the front.

Louis told me, "Chris Martin was about to start a song when he spotted me in the pit. I thought 'Oh no, what the hell is going to happen now?' But he just started grinning and told the audience his favourite X Factor judge was in the house."

But Louis wasn't the only Irishman at the gig. When the Killers encored later in the night, who did they bring out to bolster the chorus line but... Bono.

?The Diary can't think of a more aptly named man then Barry Canny. Barry owns Peploes restaurant on St Stephen's Green and is counting his lucky stars after backing out of a plan to open a second restaurant nearby. "The preparations got so far ahead we were sourcing new wines on the continent and sending staff to Italy for training. Thankfully, I was keeping an eye on the financial pages. When I realised there was trouble up ahead, I pulled out just in time."

Canny man, indeed.