On Tuesday (Aug. 4), Glen Hansard was gracefully remembered through the music he spent a lifetime creating at his Dublin funeral.
Family, friends and fellow musicians gathered at St. Patrick’s Cathedral to celebrate the life of the beloved Irish singer-songwriter, who died July 29 at age 56 following a motorcycle accident. Among those paying tribute were U2‘s Bono and The Edge, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, Hozier, Imelda May, Jake Clemons of the E Street Band and Liam Ó Maonlaí of Hothouse Flowers, all of whom joined mourners in honoring Hansard’s enduring legacy.
Bono shared a heartfelt statement during the ceremony, mulling over Hansard’s remarkable ability to make everyone feel like a close friend.
“People on the green outside, best friends. People tuning in, best friends. Even people who haven’t met him, best friends,” Bono said. “Everyone who met him, they just remember the day they met him.”
The U2 frontman shared a voicemail from Patti Smith that included a lullaby she recorded for Hansard’s loved ones. He also delivered a spoken tribute inspired by U2’s song “Beautiful Day,” accompanied by The Edge, reworking portions of the lyrics in honor of Hansard.
Vedder later took the stage to perform Hansard’s “The Song of Good Hope,” a fitting tribute from a longtime friend and collaborator. The Pearl Jam frontman was joined by Hansard’s Once collaborator Markéta Irglová during the performance, one of several musical moments that showcased the songwriter’s deep and sentimental influence across generations of artists.
Hansard’s brother, Richie Hansard, also delivered an emotional eulogy recalling the musician’s outlook on grief.
“Glen said once that when you lose someone, you don’t really lose them,” he told attendees. “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, colorful 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.”
The service concluded with a rendition of Bob Dylan‘s “Forever Young,” featuring Bono, Vedder, The Edge, Liam Ó Maonlaí and a choir of musicians assembled around the altar in a final farewell.
Hansard first rose to prominence as frontman of The Frames before earning worldwide acclaim alongside Irglová in The Swell Season. The pair won the Academy Award for best original song in 2008 for “Falling Slowly” from the film Once, which later inspired the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. Over the course of his career, Hansard also released five solo studio albums and became known for his annual Christmas Eve busking performances in Dublin benefiting people experiencing homelessness.
Watch the moving musical tribute below.
