Public Wake Planned for Glen Hansard as Ireland Continues to Mourn Oscar-Winning Musician
A public wake is to be held for Glen Hansard, the Oscar-winning singer-songwriter who died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin in the early hours of Wednesday morning, as Ireland continues to mourn one of its most beloved and distinctive musical voices — a man who went from busking on Grafton Street as a teenager to performing at the Academy Awards and who never lost his connection to the streets and communities that shaped him.
Background
Glen Hansard was born in Ballymun in north Dublin in 1970 and left school at the age of 13 to pursue his passion for music, spending years busking on Grafton Street before finding his way into the music industry through his band The Frames, which he formed in 1990. The Frames became one of the most respected acts in Irish music, known for their emotional intensity and Hansard's extraordinary voice, and the band built a devoted following over more than three decades of recording and touring.
Hansard's international breakthrough came through the 2007 film Once, in which he starred alongside Czech musician Markéta Irglová. The film, directed by John Carney, told the story of a Dublin busker and a Czech immigrant who form a musical partnership, and its soundtrack — featuring the song Falling Slowly, written by Hansard and Irglová — won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008. Hansard's acceptance speech at the Oscars, in which he urged aspiring musicians to "make art, make art, make art," became one of the most quoted moments in the history of the ceremony.
In the years since Once, Hansard had continued to record and tour prolifically, releasing a series of critically acclaimed solo albums and maintaining his reputation as one of the most compelling live performers in Irish music. He was also known for his activism and his commitment to social causes, including his involvement in the Apollo House occupation in 2016, which drew attention to the homelessness crisis in Dublin.
Key Developments
Hansard died in the early hours of Wednesday, 29 July, following a motorcycle crash in Dublin. Gardaí are piecing together his last movements, with reports indicating that he had been at a pub in west Dublin in the hours before the crash. A book of condolence has been opened at the Mansion House, and tributes have poured in from across the world, including from Barack Obama, who described him as a great musician, and from Bono, Bruce Springsteen, and President Connolly.
A public wake is to be held to allow the many thousands of people who loved Hansard's music to pay their respects. The details of the wake and the funeral arrangements are being finalised by his family, and further information is expected to be released in the coming days. Musicians have been gathering on Grafton Street to play his songs in tribute, and the scenes of spontaneous musical mourning have been widely shared on social media.
Frances Black, a close friend and fellow musician, described his death as devastating, saying that Hansard had been a force of nature who had given so much of himself to his music and to the people around him. The Irish music community has been united in grief, with tributes coming from artists across every genre and generation.
Why It Matters
Glen Hansard was not merely a successful musician — he was a cultural figure who embodied something essential about Dublin and about Ireland. His story, from busking teenager to Oscar winner, was a story about the power of art and the importance of perseverance, and it resonated with people far beyond the world of music. His commitment to social causes, his generosity to other musicians, and his refusal to abandon the streets and communities that had shaped him made him a figure of genuine moral authority as well as artistic achievement.
His death at the age of 55 is a profound loss for Irish culture, and the outpouring of grief that has followed is a measure of the depth of the connection he had forged with his audience over more than three decades. The public wake that is being planned is a recognition that his passing is not merely a private loss but a public one — a moment of collective mourning for a man who had given so much of himself to the people of Ireland.
Local Impact
In Ballymun, where Hansard grew up, the reaction to his death has been one of profound sadness. Local community leaders have spoken of his pride in his roots and his continued connection to the north Dublin community that shaped him. On Grafton Street, where he spent years as a teenager busking, musicians have been gathering to play his songs in tribute, creating scenes of spontaneous musical mourning that have moved all who witnessed them. The Light House Cinema and the Irish Film Institute are expected to screen Once as part of the tributes to his life and work.
What's Next
The details of the public wake and funeral arrangements will be announced by Hansard's family in the coming days. The Mansion House book of condolence will remain open until the funeral. A number of tribute concerts and events are expected to be organised in the weeks following his death, and there are already calls for a permanent memorial to be established in his honour on Grafton Street, where his musical journey began.
