Glen Hansard’s grieving wife says ‘we found beauty’ in son Christy, 3, as she fights tears in powerful funeral tribute
THE grieving wife of Glen Hansard told mourners that she and the late singer had found “truth and beauty” in their young son Christy, as she paid an emotional tribute to her husband at his funeral today.
Finnish poet Maire Hansard led a crowd of star-studded mourners and ordinary members of the public as her late rocker hubby was laid to rest in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, following his motorcycle crash in the Strawberry Beds last Tuesday.
Huge crowds gathered to say a fond farewell to the Oscar winning singer-songwriter a week on from his shock death which has stunned fans from around the globe.
Choking back tears as she addressed St Patrick’s Cathedral, she said : “I would like to begin by thanking Gardai Keith Cribbin, Lucy Byrne, Adam Heffernan, Jordan Walsh and Gareth McArdle for coming to Glen’s aid after the accident”, thanking them for “the humanity they showed me in my most desperate hour”.
Maire, who was named as Maire Hansard in the booklet for the funeral, also thanked the songwriter’s family and friends for the support they had given her.
She continued: “I can find no adjective for the kind of support the family has been shown this past week.
“The word is hidden somewhere in the look in people’s eyes and in the depth of their good deeds. None of this could have been done without you, most of whom I’ve not even met yet.
“I owe my deepest gratitude to all our good friends who have spared no effort to guide me through this time.”
The emotional artist paid tribute to her husband, and said : “As Glen’s wife, I want to thank him for the life we shared, searching for truth and beauty side by side. We found it in our son, Christy.”
Maire, who wed Glen in 2022, revealed she had not wanted her three-year-old son to attend his dad’s funeral.
She admitted: “He is too young to witness or understand an event of such scale. The bright spirit he inherited from his father is with us”.
Maire ended her reflection with a verse “with an early poem I penned for Glen in return for the songs he wrote for me.”
Maire read aloud: “Come to me with beauty. I require it to stay alive. I’m not talking of precious gifts, nor do I want a dolled up, beautiful and well-assessed array of tender words.
“Hurl the clash of what you’ve pocketed from this day at my feet, and then be brave enough to look me in the eye.
“Push the boundary of two minds till it stretches, till there are two bodies in one embrace, and a moment of understanding or acceptance or blind faith, and a sense of the infinite jump and jive.
“Come to me with beauty. I require it to stay alive.”
After leaving the lectern, Maire embraced Glen’s younger brother Richie, who told mourners that while his sibling was “Glen Hansard, the musician, Glen Hansard from The Frames, from the Swell Season, The Bard, the Troubadour”, being 16-years older than himself and his twin brother Dylan, Glen was also a “father figure” to them.
Richie said : “Sometimes that meant dragging us, kicking and screaming, and throwing us into the back of his Nissan Micra to drag us down to school when we refused to go.
“And on the way, he promised us that if our uniforms weren’t on by the time we got there, we were going in in our underwear.
“And he meant it. And he did this even after getting in at 5am from gigging the night before.”
Richie recalled: “One of the earliest memories, one of the earliest associations we have with our brother is the light of his scooter coming down the driveway.
“That light, that lighthouse, meant that the whole evening was about to change, and change for the good.”
He continued: “You knew that the evening might be filled with songs, with stories, with tea, with chips and egg.
“And whatever happened, you knew that you were going to be completely felt, heard, understood, and filled with fresh excitement, and possibly hope.
“And (Glen) had that unique ability to listen in, and to zero in, on someone, onto us, and to give them his full attention.
“And as a young man, the power of that could not be overstated. Glen wanted to know, to really know what was going on, deeply, not just on the surface, not just the day to day.
“He wanted to know everything, your weakness, your struggles, who you were. He wanted to know the mist and gist of all, of how he could help.
“And he had a way of making you feel like you mattered. And then when he would leave, I personally wouldn’t be able to sleep, because I’d be so lit up with possibility.”
Richie ended his emotional tribute by concluding: “Glen said once that when you lose someone, you don’t really lose them. You inherit the best parts of them.
“And if you have the strength and the will, you will gain them back and you inherit the best parts of them. And we have.
“We have inherited all the magical, colourful words, hugs, talks, madness, sadness, insightful, manic beauty that a brother, an uncle, a husband and a father could ever give.
“Thank you, Glen. Thank you, brother. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Hansard died last Wednesday at the age of 56 in a road crash, hours after taking part in a trad session at The Wren’s Nest pub.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the church, where large screens were erected at St Patrick’s Park, to give The Commitments star a memorable farewell today.
Gifts including Hansard’s guitar were brought to the altar, representing the many aspects of the beloved artist’s life.
During the homily, Revd Dr William Morton said Hansard’s death was a huge loss to the world of music.
He said his music had touched hearts and his songs would be loved for generations to come and that people spoke of the kindness and compassion the singer had for others.
Revd Morton said he responded quietly to human need and had a rare gift of helping others to be seen and heard.
The Reverend also said that despite his success, Glen never lost touch with his roots.
The service ended this afternoon with the bells ringing out in St Patrick’s Cathedral as a who’s who of Irish music sent the singer on his way blasting out Bob Dylan’s Forever Young.
The service in St Patrick’s Cathedral was followed by a private cremation in Mount Jerome.
