U2 drummer Larry Mullen reveals he can't count or add things up because of learning difficulty

U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr says counting bars within music is like “climbing Everest” for him due to his dyscalculia.

The Irish musician, 63, revealed he cannot count or add because of the learning difficulty, which affects his ability to use and acquire mathematical skills.

Mullen Jr, who only realised he had dyscalculia recently, has produced and written music for a new film Left Behind about dyslexia and the New York school system.

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“I’ve always known that there’s something not particularly right with the way that I deal with numbers. I’m numerically challenged. And I realised recently that I have dyscalculia... so I can’t add, I can’t count,” he told Times Radio.

“I had to find ways of doing this, and counting bars is like climbing Everest.

“And when people watch me play sometimes, they say ‘You look pained’. I am pained because I’m trying to count the bars.”

Mullen Jr formed U2 in 1976 with singer Bono, guitarist the Edge and bassist Adam Clayton and Mullen.

He revealed the band are currently writing new material and doing some initial recording and hopes they will tour at some point in 2026.

“I don’t think it will be what we normally do. I would hope it would be something different”, Mullen Jr said. “But I’m excited to get back in some capacity.”

Earlier this year U2 held a residency at the Sphere, a high-tech new immersive venue in Las Vegas which boasts 168,000 square feet of high-definition LEDs, 167,000 speakers and 17,000 seats.