Hundreds attended the funeral at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin
Mourners at the funeral of Oscar-winning musician Glen Hansard have heard that his remarkable gifts brought him “from the streets of Dublin to audiences across the globe”.
U2 frontman Bono, bandmate The Edge and Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder were among the stars who joined family, friends and fans for the service at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin on Tuesday.
Bono addressed the funeral and led the congregation in a singalong of the U2 song Beautiful Day.
With the cathedral full, hundreds more gathered outside to watch the proceedings on large screens which had been erected while more than 40,000 watched a livestream of the funeral.
The funeral featured multiple musical tributes as well as memories shared by family members.
Tributes poured in from around the world after Hansard, the frontman of Irish band The Frames was killed at the age of 56 in a motorcycle crash on the outskirts of Dublin last week, hours after taking part in a trad session at The Wren’s Nest pub.
Hansard featured in celebrated film The Commitments, and won an Oscar for best original song for Falling Slowly in 2008, which he co-wrote with Markéta Irglová for the movie Once.
He began an annual Christmas Eve charity busk outside the Gaiety Theatre 16 years ago, drawing members of the public to see famous Irish musicians perform in aid of the homeless in the city.
Musicians Hozier, Declan O’Rourke, Jerry Fish and Imelda May were among the first to arrive at the cathedral.
Actors Steve Coogan and Chris O’Dowd were also in attendance, as well as former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams and traditional musician Finbar Furey.
Members of the public applauded as the funeral procession arrived at the cathedral with the hearse being pulled by four horses, before the wicker coffin, adorned with green branches, was carried inside.
Rev Dr William Morton, the dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, welcomed mourners and accepted the gift of a guitar at the altar.
Rev Morton said the service was being held “in thanksgiving for and in celebration” of Hansard’s “life, talent, generosity and kindness”.
Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich read a poem and then described Hansard as a “one-off person the likes of which we won’t meet again”.
He said: “He was so well-known on the big stages of Ireland and all over the world.
“But to us, who were close to him, he was an ordinary, kind-hearted Ballymun man. A true Dub.”
Hansard’s younger brother Richard told the service said his brother had a “way of making you feel like you mattered”.
He said: “Glen made me feel like the world was a much more magical place than it was at the time.
“He sang songs, he was a storyteller, he would come in and turn the evening around. It was easy to look up and be inspired.
“I know he made ripples and made waves. He had an impact on so many, look at this room.
“Those waves began at kitchen tables in Ballymun and Killester, and it is at those tables for us he will remain. His first stage was our house and his audience was his mam, dad and brothers.
He added: “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’s wife Maire thanked the emergency personnel who came to her husband’s aid following last week’s accident.
She told the funeral: “I owe my deepest gratitude to all our good friends who have spared no effort to give me to guide me through this time.
“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 Christie.”
She received a prolonged round of applause after reading a poem she had written for her husband.
Vedder then sang Hansard’s The Song Of Good Hope, with Irglová, alongside whom the Dublin musician had won an Oscar.
Delivering his address, Rev Morton told mourners that Hansard would be remembered for the goodness he brought into the lives of others.
He said: “His untimely death is a profound loss to his wife Maire, young son Christie, all the family, and his countless friends.
“But it is also a profound loss to the world of music in Ireland and far beyond these shores.
“Glen’s remarkable gifts and outstanding talent, which touched so many hearts, took him from the streets of Dublin to audiences across the globe.
“His songs will continue to be loved for generations to come.”
Rev Morton said Hansard would also be remembered for his “generosity, his humility, his warmth, and his insight. his instinctive kindness.
He said: “He always had time, compassion for people.
“He delighted in encouraging others. He responded quietly to human need, and never seemed to lose the ability to see the individual behind the crowd.
“There was a gentleness about him that drew people towards him, the generosity of heart that left them better for having met him, gave a gift of making others feel seen, valued, and loved.”
He said Hansard had “never lost sight of his roots, or of the importance of human connection”, drawing attention to the Christmas Eve busk and his charity fundraising efforts during the Covid pandemic.
He said: “Glen’s life therefore reminds us that in a world so often captivated by success and acclaim, kindness offered freely and consistently that is remembered longest and leaves the deepest mark.
“Kindness will always live on in the hearts of those whose lives we have touched.
“Glen understood that. In the end, that is the greatest legacy anyone can leave.
“Songs may become part of our culture, but kindness becomes part of other people’s lives.”
Bono told the funeral that Glen had thousands of “best friends”.
He then played on his phone a tribute that had been sent to him from Patti Smith following Hansard’s death.
Bono then read lyrics from the U2 song ‘Beautiful Day’ and led the mourners in a singalong.
At the end of the service, Hothouse Flowers singer Liam Ó Maonlaí led performers and the congregation in a rendition of the Bob Dylan song Forever Young.
Several people had queued outside the cathedral for hours to attend the service.
Among those who attended was Stefania Domesi from Italy.
She said: “I was here and then I heard about the funeral and the wake and I thought it was good to come.
“I really was astonished by the person that I was so I thought it was nice to come here.
“He was not just a musician and artist but he was a great person and he showed it in all his life.”
Theresa Martin travelled from Co Waterford to attend the funeral and was in the queue to enter the church.
She said: “It was just the feeling that he brought to the music. You could see it in his eyes and his face.
“It was true stories as well. It was unique.”
A number of traffic diversions were in place close to the cathedral to accommodate the funeral service.
