Glen Hansard’s songs touched hearts but his generosity defined him

Ireland is mourning the loss of one of its greatest musicians following the death of Glen Hansard in a motorcycle collision last Wednesday. He was 56.

Over a career spanning more than three decades, the Ballymun native became one of Ireland’s defining singer-songwriters, earning worldwide acclaim with The Frames, Once and the Oscar-winning song Falling Slowly.

Yet for those who knew him best, Hansard’s greatest legacy may not have been the music he created, but the generosity with which he shared his life.

Whether raising millions for homelessness services through his annual Christmas Eve Busk, championing young musicians or simply turning up when people needed him most, Hansard became admired as much for the man he was as for the artist he became.

Born in Ballymun in 1970, Hansard’s musical journey began not in recording studios but on the streets of Dublin, where busking honed his craft and forged the connection with audiences that would define his career.

Although many first came to know him as Outspan Foster in Alan Parker’s 1991 film The Commitments, music was always his true calling.

In 1990 he formed The Frames, a band that would become one of Ireland’s most respected and influential musical acts.

Across six studio albums, four of which reached the top ten of the Irish Album Charts, The Frames built a devoted following through powerful songwriting and unforgettable live performances rather than commercial hype.

International acclaim followed with Once, the low-budget Dublin musical drama that Hansard starred in alongside Czech musician Markéta Irglová.

Together they wrote Falling Slowly, the song that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 and introduced Hansard’s music to audiences around the world.

The film’s soundtrack also received a Grammy nomination before Once found a new audience as an award-winning stage musical.

Hansard later established himself as a successful solo artist with Rhythm and Repose in 2012 before releasing Didn’t He Ramble three years later, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album.

Yet awards, chart success and international recognition tell only part of Glen Hansard’s story.

Away from the stage, he became one of Ireland’s most passionate advocates for people experiencing homelessness, using his profile not simply to raise awareness but to make a tangible difference.

Beginning in 2010, his annual Christmas Eve Busk outside Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre became one of the capital’s most cherished festive traditions.

Bringing together many of Ireland’s best-known musicians in aid of Dublin Simon Community, the event raised more than €2 million while becoming a fixture in Dublin’s Christmas calendar.

In a moving tribute, Dublin Simon Community described Hansard as “a giant in the fight against homelessness”, remembering not only the funds he helped raise but the compassion and dignity he consistently showed to those experiencing homelessness.

The organisation said the busk would never have become what it is today without Hansard’s vision and determination, recalling how he brought together some of Ireland’s biggest musical names to shine a spotlight on homelessness while always keeping the focus on those most in need.

His commitment extended well beyond fundraising.

Hansard joined protests highlighting Ireland’s housing crisis, took part in marches marking the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and became one of the leading figures behind the Home Sweet Home campaign, including the occupation of Apollo House in 2016.

Senator Aubrey McCarthy, who worked alongside him during that campaign, perhaps summed him up best.

“Glen didn’t just lend his name to Apollo House, he showed up,” he said.

Recalling those difficult weeks, Senator McCarthy remembered Hansard carrying beds upstairs, talking with residents and treating everyone with the same dignity and respect.

“His music took him around the world, but his heart never left Dublin, and it never left the people this city too often forgets,” he said.

That same generosity was reflected in the tributes that poured in from across Irish public life.President Catherine Connolly led those paying tribute, describing Hansard as “one of Ireland’s great singer-songwriters” whose work with The Frames, Markéta Irglová and as a solo artist inspired generations of musicians.

She recalled how Hansard’s career stretched from his breakthrough role as Outspan Foster in The Commitments to the worldwide acclaim that followed Once and Falling Slowly, while praising the incomparable live performances that made him one of Ireland’s most compelling artists.

But it was his generosity away from the stage that the President said would also define his legacy.

“Glen will also be remembered for the generosity with which he shared his fame, providing encouragement to young musicians and performers, while working to assist with important causes, in particular those suffering from homelessness, with his annual Christmas Eve busk in Dublin’s city centre one of the highlights of the Christmas period,” she said.

Describing Hansard as “one of the vital driving influences of the Irish music world”, President Connolly said he had spent decades bringing people together through live music and would be “sorely missed by all who knew him or experienced his work.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “deeply saddened” by the news, describing Hansard as “a talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over many years.”

Minister for Arts Patrick O’Donovan said Hansard’s influence reached far beyond music.

“Few artists made as big an impact on modern Irish storytelling as Glen Hansard,” he said.

“From his early days busking on the streets of Dublin, through The Commitments, to founding rock outfit The Frames, Hansard consistently poured passion and vulnerability into every note.

“His impact will last generations in Irish music, even as his life has ended far too soon.”

Housing Minister James Browne said Hansard would be remembered not only as “a generational talent in music and the arts” but also as “a ‘giant’ in the fight against homelessness in Ireland”, praising his relentless commitment to protecting the dignity of people experiencing homelessness and supporting the services that cared for them.

Within the music community, the loss has been felt just as deeply.

Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) described Hansard as one of Ireland’s most gifted, generous and internationally admired songwriters.

IMRO Chair Tom Dunne, who had known Hansard since the mid-1990s, recalled a vibrant Irish music scene in which The Frames stood alongside artists including Damien Rice, Bell X1, Paddy Casey, David Kitt and Damien Dempsey.

“In that world, the song was everything,” he said. “No one ever doubted Glen’s songs.”

Dunne also remembered Hansard’s unwavering loyalty to fellow musicians, recalling how he helped complete Mic Christopher’s album Skylarking after Christopher’s untimely death and championed the work of Fergus Farrell and Interference.

“He did not have to do any of it,” Dunne said. “But he did it anyway.”

Away from the stage, Hansard found happiness with his wife, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, whom he married in December 2022, and their son, Christy.

For some, Glen Hansard will forever be the voice behind Falling Slowly.

For others, he will be remembered as the frontman of The Frames, the busker who conquered the world, or the actor who helped bring The Commitments and Once to life.

But for many more, he will be remembered as the man who never forgot where he came from.

Whether on a stage before thousands, on Grafton Street with a guitar, or on a cold Christmas Eve raising money for people experiencing homelessness, Glen Hansard believed music was at its most powerful when it brought people together.

That may prove to be his greatest legacy of all.