Irish rock group U2 has won a legal battle in a Dublin courtroom over a cowboy hat and other memorabilia held by the band's former stylist.

Lola Cashman will be required to hand over a cowboy hat worn by Bono, a pair of metal hoop earrings, a green sweatshirt and other items.

Bono, wearing a different cowboy hat in 2006, will soon get back the Stetson that became his trademark during the Joshua Tree tour in 1987.
(Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press)

She had claimed the band gave her the items and appealed a lower court ruling that she must give them back.

Cashman, described as "eccentric" but an excellent stylist, was responsible for the transport of all wardrobe items during her nine months with U2.

Bono, lead singer of U2, said she took the items without permission during the band's Joshua Tree tour in 1987.

In testimony in the high court appeals case, Bono said it was important to the band to keep the memorabilia so it could either be archived or donated.

"We thought it would have some importance in the history of the band," he said.

"We hoped we would be around long enough to be part of that."

U2 became aware Cashman had some of its belongings in 1992, after an employee visited her apartment.

The court case began in 2002, when she attempted to auction the items through Christie's auction house.

Bono was particularly interested in reclaiming a Stetson that became his trademark during the tour.

The singer said he'd chosen the image himself because of its connections with American iconography.

Bono described hiring Cashman to replace another stylist who was on maternity leave.

'Eccentric behaviour'

Styling wasn't one of the band's strengths, he said, and Cashman was good at it, despite her "eccentric behaviour."

"She was unusual," he said. "She wore my clothes all the time and the other band members' clothes. We went a very great distance to keep Lola Cashman because she was very good at her job." 

She worked with the band at a time it was moving from playing in arenas to large outdoor stadiums.

"Everything had come right for us. We had a lot of songs on radio around the world and particularly in the U.S., we had a couple of No. 1 singles."

Cashman claimed Bono gave her the cowboy hat when she asked for it backstage after a concert.

However, in a 38-page judgment released Wednesday, High Court Justice Michael Peart ordered almost all the items to be returned to U2, with the exception of a pair of black Converse boots that had belonged to drummer Larry Mullen.

Neither Cashman nor the band were in the Dublin courtroom to hear the verdict. U2, now on tour in Australia, said it would not try to claim costs in the legal battle.