Glen Hansard, Oscar-winning folk singer and guitarist from *The Commitments*, has died
The Irish musician and actor, aged 56, was killed in a motorbike accident at dawn in the suburbs of Dublin
He was the guitarist for The Commitments (1991), a cult film about the unlikely formation of a soul band in the heart of Dublin. He was the frontman of the indie rock band The Frames and one half of the duo The Swell Season with the Czech pianist Czech pianist Markéta Irglová, a refined performer and author of five folk albums with which he had built up a sizeable following of fans around the world. This included Italia, where he was due to play four dates at the end of the year. He also won an Oscar, in 2008, thanks to Falling Slowly, a song written for the independent musical Once (2006). Glen Hansard, the Irish folk singer and actor who died at dawn today in a motorbike accident in Lacan, a suburb of Dublin, at the age of 56, was many things at once.
Born in 1970 in Ballymum, a neighbourhood to the north of the Irish capital, Glen Hansard began his career as a busker right on the banks of the River Liffey, before forming The Frames, the band with which he continued to play until the very end. In his early twenties, Alan Parker cast him in the role of Outspan Foster in the much-loved musical comedy The Commitments, bringing him international recognition for the first time. In 2013, he won a Grammy in the Best Musical Theatre Album category, again for the stage adaptation of the film Once. As a solo artist, with Didn’t He Ramble, he earned another nomination for Best Folk Album in 2016.
Committed to social causes, he had performed on several occasions at concerts in support of campaigns for the homeless and had become a regular feature at the traditional street music festival organised every year on Christmas Eve in the Irish capital. U2 had invited him to appear on the Disney+ special *Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with David Letterman (2023), in which he explains Ireland to the famous American presenter and then treats the audience to a memorable performance at McDaid’s Pub.
Later in 2023, at the funeral of Shane MacGowan – something of a national icon of Irish folk music – Hansard had the honour of performing the Pogues’ masterpieceFairytale Of New York alongside Lisa O’Neill. This alone would be enough to give an idea of the enormous esteem in which the artist, who passed away far too soon, was held in his homeland. This is echoed by the words now spoken by the Prime Minister of Ireland, Micheál Martin, who is ‘deeply saddened by the news of the passing’ of ‘a highly talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to the Irish cultural scene for many years’.
His view on music? It’s been the same from the very beginning: ‘When you’re busking, one thing you can’t afford is embarrassment. A street musician has to get on with the job. You have to put your ego aside and get stuck in. Play your songs, play them well, earn your money and don’t get in people’s way.’ Simple and straightforward, like a folk ballad.
