Paul McGuinness (born 16 June 1951) is an Irish talent manager. He was the founder of Principle Management Limited, a popular music act management company based in Dublin, Ireland. He was the manager of the rock band U2 from 1978 to 2013.
McGuinness was born in a British military hospital at Rinteln, Westphalia in Germany, where his father, Philip McGuinness (a Liverpudlian) was serving with the Royal Air Force. His mother Sheila McGuinness née Lyne, was a schoolteacher from County Kerry, Ireland. There were three children in the family: Paul, Niall, and Katy.
McGuinness received his early formal education in Ireland at the private Jesuit boarding school Clongowes Wood College. From there he went on to Trinity College Dublin, where he directed plays, edited the magazine T.C.D. Miscellany, and promoted gigs, but dropped out without a degree.
Before becoming involved with U2, he worked as a film assistant director on productions such as John Boorman's Zardoz. For a time, he also managed folk-rock group Spud.
McGuinness first met U2 at a Dublin gig on 25 May 1978 where they were supporting the Gamblers. Following this meeting, McGuinness became U2's manager, having been introduced to the band by Bill Graham, a journalist with Hot Press magazine
He founded Principle Management Limited on 29 March 1984.
In 2002, McGuinness was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Meteor Music Awards at Point Theatre Dublin and U2 won the best Irish Band Award.
Noted for his business acumen, he has been responsible for U2 3D concert films, U2-branded iPods, sponsorship from BlackBerry and the first-ever concert streamed live on YouTube.
