Renowned Irish musician Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin.
The 56-year old, who won an Oscar in 2008 for ‘Falling Slowly’ from the film Once, was regarded as a titan of Irish folk music. Hansard was the lead singer of The Frames and performed as part of The Swell Season with longtime collaborator and former partner Marketa Irglová. He also enjoyed a successful solo career, receiving a Grammy nomination for the album, Didn’t He Ramble (2015). Earlier this month, Hansard was among the headliners at the Trinity Summer Series in his final ever Irish gig.
Hansard was born in Ballymun in 1970, as one of six siblings. He picked up his first guitar after his uncle left it behind to serve a short stint in prison. Inspired by Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, and Bob Dylan, he left school aged thirteen with the blessing of his principal to begin busking on the streets of Dublin. After forming the Frames in 1990, he made his screen debut as guitarist Outspan Poster in Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments in 1991.
The film, which follows a group of working-class Dubliners who form a soul band, became a landmark in Irish cinema and introduced Hansard’s natural performing presence. Although not a leading role, it marked an important point in his career, placing him among a cast that helped capture the humour, resilience and musical spirit of Dublin. For many fans, this film was their first introduction to Hansard’s talent, however he was often reluctant to let the film define his career. In interviews over the years he expressed his gratitude for the experience and the opportunities the film created and recognised its importance in Irish culture, while maintaining that his greatest ambition was always to build a life through music rather than acting. That conviction would shape the decades that followed, as he returned his focus to The Frames and established himself as one of Ireland’s most influential songwriters.
At a time in the early nineties when folk and rock’n’roll had been superseded by new tastes like house and techno, Hansard and The Frames worked passionately to bring rousing Irish folk music back to the mainstream. The band gained recognition for successful albums like Dance the Devil and Burn the Maps.
After Cillian Murphy pulled out of the project, Hansard starred opposite Irglová in the much-acclaimed Once, filmed over seventeen days with a budget of just €150,000. Falling Slowly, recorded for the film, is regarded as one of the greatest Irish songs ever penned. Following his time as part of these acts, Hansard embarked on a solo career, releasing his debut album Rhythm and Repose in 2012. Last year, he and Irglová renewed their partnership to release the album Forward.
Hansard will be remembered as a tireless advocate for social justice. He worked on Oxfam’s charity album The Cake Sale in 2006 and regularly led the Christmas Eve busk outside the Gaiety Theatre in aid of the Dublin Simon Community. In 2016, Hansard became an activist with Home Sweet Home, which occupied Apollo House in Dublin to protest against the city’s homelessness epidemic. He also collaborated with Bono, Irglová, and Ukrainian refugees while recording the single Take Heart in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Hansard’s passing has been met with widespread shock and sadness from the Irish music community and beyond. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that Hansard “made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape.” President Catherine Connolly described him as “one of Ireland’s great singer-songwriters.” Victoria Mary Clarke, the widow of Shane MacGowan, said that Hansard “cared about people more than anyone I ever met.” Hansard performed Fairytale of New York with Lisa O’Neill at MacGowan’s funeral in 2023.
Over a storied career, Hansard shared a stage with Ed Sheeran, Eddie Vedder, and Bruce Springsteen, who said he was “heartbroken” to hear of the musician’s death. He will be remembered for his distinctive blend of folk and rock, along with his intense, raw live performances. A book of condolence is open in the Mansion House tomorrow and Friday. Hansard is survived by his wife Maire and his son Christy.
Over the coming days, the people of Ireland will regard Glen Hansard as a poet, a lyricist, and a troubadour. More simply, in the words of writer Dawn O’Porter, Ireland has today lost one of the greats.
