Glen Hansard dies in motorbike crash after trad gig as emotional pals reveal ‘touching’ love for son & new music plans

THE world of Irish music and entertainment is in mourning after the shock death of Glen Hansard in a motorbike crash.

The musician, 56, was pronounced dead after his motorbike was involved in a single-vehicle crash in the Strawberry Beds in west Dublin.

Gardai said they were alerted at about 4.30am and Hansard was treated at the scene, but sadly he passed away a short time later.

In a statement his management team said: “With broken hearts we announce the passing of Glen Hansard… following a road traffic accident in Dublin.

“Glen’s family is deeply shocked and heartbroken by this tragic loss and respectfully requests privacy at this extremely difficult time.

“The family is grateful for the support they have received and wishes to thank the emergency services who attended the scene.

“As this matter remains the subject of an active Garda investigation, no further comment will be made at this time.”

It’s understood that earlier in the evening the star had been performing in the nearby The Wren’s Nest pub, where he sung and played music regularly on a Tuesday night and was on his way home when the tragedy happened.

The pub said in a statement on social media: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Glen Hansard.

“It was always a privilege to welcome Glen to The Wren’s Nest over the years.

“He will be remembered for his incredible talent, generosity and the joy he brought to so many.

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who knew and loved him.

“Rest in peace, Glen. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Glen split time between Finland and Ireland as he was married to Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa and they welcomed their first child in October 2022.

One of Ireland’s most celebrated musicians, the acclaimed songwriter and musician, who started out busking on Grafton Street before making his movie debut as Outspan Foster in the classic The Commitments and co-founding The Frames in 1990, scooped an Oscar for Best Song for Falling Slowly with musical partner Marketa Irglova from the movie Once and sold out venues around the world.

Bono hailed Hansard as “the shining star of the Christmas Eve busk”.

The U2 frontman was among the many famous faces recruited by Hansard for the annual December 24 singalong in aid of the homeless, which has raised more than €2million for charity.

In a poignant post, the One singer, 66, wrote: “Sometimes I would wonder if Glen Hansard really existed….

“Seriously, he was such an angelic presence… not otherworldly…in fact, very present this presence…

“A smiling rascal if you needed him to be… this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun… no airs, plenty of graces…

“Of course, Glen was the shining star of the Christmas Eve busk… sometimes the only one reminding the rest of us that Christmas began with a refugee born in a manger, which is hardly a step from living on the street.

“To be utterly yourself by being more interested in others – a clue for any of us trying out different personas.

“He really was who you thought he was.

“He could never walk by a person living rough without checking they were OK… and more than that, he worked very hard so that less people had to live on the streets in the first place.

“When the crowds got bigger and for safety’s sake Glen had to agree to move the busk to a stage kindly provided outside The Gaiety Theatre, he would say ‘we’ll give it our best but it’s not a busk if we’re not on the street!’ …because that’s who he was – a performer at eye level in any situation.”

Bono – real name Paul Hewson – continued: “The stage was a separation he wouldn’t recognize.

“Of all the grand and gigantic venues he and The Frames played, you sensed the street was his most favoured place to perform. And street people, his favourite audience.

“Voice of the streets. A choir of angels in one man.

“The rest of us blessed to stand there beside our very own and very earthed Angel Gabriel… All of us welcome in his choir, whatever shape or form.

“….and I’m telling myself this morning that if he never existed, then he can never cease to exist. For me, he will always be everywhere I see a coin spinning into an open guitar case.

“May you rest in the peace you gave to so many. Bono.”

Glen had a long history with RTE legend Dave Fanning, who first recorded his band The Frames for Fanning session in the early nineties.

The Blackrock man interviewed Glen again last year for his Fanning At Whelans TV show.

Dave Fanning told The Irish Sun: “I’m so shocked by this news but Glen’s legacy will always be as a musician. Look at the output, eight studio albums with The Frames, five solo albums, and four albums with The Swell Season.

“There’s so many other musical collaborations Glen got up to as well as Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam for instance”.

But Dave said he had been touched by how Glen had been affected by the birth of his son Christy, in October 2022.

Dave told The Irish Sun: “I bumped into Glen outside the Olympia and all he wanted to talk about was his son. He just talked and talked about Christy. You’d never heard anything like it. When I interviewed him last year, he was still talking about his son. It was very touching”.

Meanwhile, Dave Allen the chief booker of Whelan’s, where The Frames played many of the earliest shows, spoke of his sadness at the news.

Dave told The Irish Sun: “The Frames really put Whelan’s on the map when we were starting as a venue. They weren’t selling out or anything but making their name.

“But we loved them at Whelan’s so much we lent The Frames the money to record their Fitzcarraldo album. That song Revelate was on it, it became massive and suddenly we had a queue around the corner.

“What was lovely was Glen never forgot and when we had our 25th anniversary at Whelan’s in 2014. Glen was kind enough to come back and perform. Half way through that gig, Glen stopped the show and started telling the audience about the money Whelan’s had lent The Frames to record the Fitzcarraldo album.

“Then Glen told the audience to pay Whelan’s back, the bar would be free for the rest of the night. It was an incredible gesture and Glen settled up at the end of the night.

“I can’t remember how much it cost him but it was in the thousands. We are all devastated at this terrible news and Glen will never be forgotten by everybody at Whelan’s.”

While Glen became a world famous musician, winning an Oscar gong and hanging out with superstar Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, pal Liam Ó Maonlaí of The Hothouse Flowers said he never forgot his roots, returning to busk on Grafton Street each Christmas Eve.

Liam said: “I’m heartbroken I won’t be getting a text from Glen this Christmas Eve asking ‘are you coming to the busk? And when you got there Glen was always making sure everyone was chatting to one another and discussing things.

“And no matter how famous Glen got he never forgot anyone who started out with him on Grafton Street. …After he won his Oscar for Falling Slowly, he invited me out on a tour of the West Coast of America and told us we could use his piano every night.”

Victoria Mary Clarke also revealed how The Frames singer was responsible for the celebrated funeral of her husband, Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan at which Nick Cave, Imelda May, and his former Pogues bandmates performed.

She said his world had changed utterly when he became a father for the first time at the age of 52.

Victoria said: “He was getting started as a family man and it was such a revelation for him. You have never seen anyone look at their child, the way Glen looked at Christy. It was magical.

“Glen was so good to Shane. He encouraged him to keep writing and keep singing, long after his accident and was in hospital. He would say, I don’t care if you’re in a wheelchair, I will bring my studio to you, he encouraged Shane to make a record which will come out. He was a walking angel.

“He also organised Shane’s funeral that everyone talks about. He got all those musicians and turned it into a production and stage managed it. That celebration of Shane we all had was down to Glen.”

Rock icon Bruce Springsteen joined those hailing “a great musician and a good friend”.

The Boss wrote: “Here on E Street, we are heartbroken over the death of Glen Hansard.

“We met in Ireland many years ago and he was always nothing but a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man. Always positive, smiling and ready to sing. God bless him and his loved ones.”

Fellow megastar Ed Sheeran agreed and penned: “Heartbroken to hear the news about Glen.

“He was such an incredible human, an incredible force.

“I am grateful for the times we spent together, sending so much love to his family.”

IT Crowd star Chris O’Dowd said: “I’ve spent the last few hours listening to (Frames albums) Fitzcarraldo & Dance The Devil …I recently encountered a Basquiat quote, ‘Art is how we decorate Space and music is how we decorate time. Glen was an incredible decorator of our time.

“His energising melodies and soulful searching voice made the tough times more manageable, the stagnant times more beautiful and the joyful times even more memorable.”

Glen was scheduled to be headlining the Puca Festival in Co Meath along with the Coronas and the Hothouse Flowers over the Halloween weekend.

In a statement, they said: “Everyone at Púca Festival extends our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, former bandmates, fellow musicians, crew and the countless fans whose lives were touched by Glen’s music.

“Glen was due to headline this year’s Púca Festival, and this news will come as a profound shock to our Púca community.

“While words cannot ease the pain of such a devastating loss, we join music fans around the world in remembering an extraordinary artist whose talent, passion and performances left a lasting impact.

“Our thoughts are with all those grieving at this incredibly difficult time.

“Further information regarding the festival programme will be shared in due course. For now, our focus is on remembering Glen and offering our sincere sympathies to everyone affected.”

Waterboys frontman Mike Scott posted on X: “Just heard that Glen Hansard has died. Travel on well, Buddy. You made your dreams come true. I’m so sorry that he leaves his wife and 3-year-old child.”

Irish rock band Kodaline said it’s “very hard to put into words the loss the world has suffered with Glen’s passing.”

They said: “Growing up listening to The Frames and then eventually spending time and playing alongside Glen is something us as a band will cherish. RIP Glen.”

In a statement following news of his death, Dublin Simon Community said they were “devastated to learn today of the passing of our longtime friend and supporter”.

They said: “While known to many as a genius songwriter and storyteller, for us, he was threefold that, in his generosity, a true advocate for our work and a giant in the fight against homelessness.

“Our long-lasting relationship with Glen started back in 2010, when he organised the first official Christmas Eve Busk.

“What started out as his brainchild soon became an iconic Dublin Christmas event, a festive singsong that spread cheer but also raised vital awareness of the homelessness crisis as well as funds to keep our essential services running.”

The tribute continued: “To put it simply, the Busk would not have become what it is today without Glen as the driving force behind it.

“He took it upon himself to bring together Ireland’s leading musicians to help shine a spotlight on what he saw as an injustice in our society.

“Over the years, Glen invited some of Ireland’s brightest stars, including Bono, Sinéad O’Connor, Imelda May and Shane MacGowan, among so many others who lent their talents to our cause.

“Thanks to Glen, over €2million has been raised and used directly to support people when they needed it most.

“On behalf of all of our staff and particularly the clients we support, we offer our condolences to his wife, Maire Saaritsa, and his son, Christy. May he rest in peace. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.”

Pal Jay Boland, from Kodaline, told Liveline how Glen was settling into the prime of his life as a dad but still had so much he wanted to do.

Glen told The Irish Times in a recent interview: “Now that I’ve turned 56, I have two options: either take it easy or step on the gas for a bit longer, and I’ve chosen the latter.

“There are so many projects I’ve been mulling over in my head for ages and haven’t been able to get a grip on, so I’m going to dive straight into them after this European tour. I’ve already recorded a new album (more on that later…), so I won’t have to worry about that for a while. It’ll probably not be released until spring 2027.”