Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (/ˈmʌlən/; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2.

Mullen's distinctive, almost military drumming style developed from his playing martial beats in childhood marching bands.

In 1990, he produced the Ireland national football team's song "Put 'Em Under Pressure" for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Mullen has sporadically acted in films, most notably in Man on the Train (2011) and A Thousand Times Good Night (2013).

Mullen said that the band focused more on learning to read sheet music, whereas he wanted to spend more time playing the drums.

[2] Mullen used the money he had saved and with his father's help bought a drum kit, made by a Japanese toy company, which his sister Cecilia's friend was selling.

[2] Mullen spent approximately two years in the Post Office Workers Band, overlapping with his time in U2.

[4] Mullen's father suggested that he place a notice on the Mount Temple bulletin board,[2] saying something to the effect of "drummer seeks musicians to form band".

He and his sister Cecilia worked for an American company in Dublin, involved in oil exploration off the coast of Ireland.

[10] When he left the hospital, he arrived back in the studio to find the rest of the band experimenting more than ever with electronic drum machines, something driven largely by the Edge's interest in dance and hip-hop music, and, given his weakness after the operation, he relented, allowing The Edge to continue using drum machines, which contributed heavily to the album's electronic feel.

In 1990, Mullen co-wrote and arranged an official Ireland national team song "Put 'Em Under Pressure" for the FIFA World Cup.

to form the one-performance group Automatic Baby, solely for the purpose of performing "One" for MTV's 1993 inauguration ball for US President Bill Clinton; the group's name refers to the titles of both latest bands' albums at the time, Achtung Baby and Automatic for the People.

[22] Author Bill Flanagan said that he plays "with a martial rigidity but uses his kit in a way a properly trained drummer would not"; he tends to transition from the snare drum onto tom-toms positioned on either side of him, contrasting with how they are traditionally used.

[3] He admitted his bass drum technique is not a strength, as he mostly played the snare in marching bands and did not learn to properly combine the separate elements together on a full kit.

As a result, he uses a floor tom to his left to create the effect of a bass drum, an arrangement he began to use while recording "Pride (In the Name of Love)" in 1984 at the influence of producer Daniel Lanois.

"[21] Flanagan said that his playing style perfectly reflects his personality: "Larry is right on top of the beat, a bit ahead—as you'd expect from a man who's so ordered and punctual in his life.

[21] In the early days of U2, he had what Bono called a "florid" drumming style, before he eventually adopted a philosophy of simplicity and pared down his rhythms.

[3] As he matured as a timekeeper, he developed a preternatural sense of rhythm; Eno recounted one occasion when Mullen noticed that his click track had been set incorrectly by just six milliseconds.

He contributed backing vocals to the songs "Numb", "Get On Your Boots", "Moment of Surrender", "Elevation", "Miracle Drug", "Love and Peace or Else", "Unknown Caller", "Zoo Station" and "Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car" (only during Zoo TV Tour), and others.

[36] Mullen co-produced the 2024 documentary film Left Behind, which covers efforts by mothers to open the first public school in New York City for dyslexic children.

As U2 became increasingly successful, Larry Mullen had to add the suffix "Junior" to his surname to avoid confusion with his father, who was receiving large tax bills meant for his son.

[1] Mullen and Clayton own houses near Bono and the Edge in Southern France to make it easier to record with U2 in the area.

[43] In March 2005, Mullen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of U2, in their first year of eligibility.