Hundreds Gather at Dublin Wake to Pay Tribute to Musician Glen Hansard

The sudden death of the beloved musician in the early hours of Wednesday morning, July 29, 2026, sent shockwaves through Ireland’s music community and international fans alike. Gardaí and emergency services responded to a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on the R109 Lower Road near the Strawberry Beds in Lucan, where Hansard was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 4:30 am. Hours before the tragedy, Hansard had taken part in a traditional music session at The Wren’s Nest pub in Chapelizod, leaving behind video footage that quickly circulated among grieving fans.

Mourners Queue at the Baroque Chapel in Kilmainham

On Monday morning, a queue of hundreds of people snaked around the Baroque Chapel at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, where Hansard’s body lay in repose in a wicker coffin from 11am until 4pm. Organizers and local reporting estimated that the crowd numbered in the thousands over the course of the day, drawing attendees from across Ireland as well as international fans who flew in specifically from places like Chicago and the Netherlands.

Among those waiting to pay their respects was Chris James, who recalled seeing Hansard busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street 25 years ago.

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“I thought it one of the most coolest things I’d ever seen and one of the reasons I picked up and started playing guitar. I met him a couple of times. Just a lovely fellow, totally unassuming, wanted the best for everybody, knew that there was an awful lot of hardship around and instead of giving out about it, he just wanted to bring people together.”

Chris James, fan

Other attendees included families introducing the next generation to his catalog. Ronan Buckley attended with his wife, Rebecca, and their children, Leah and Lily, telling reporters that they felt they had to be there.

“I’ve been to loads of his concerts and his music was fantastic. His outlook on life was brilliant.”

Ronan Buckley, fan

Rebecca echoed the sentiment, telling journalists outside the venue that his passing was just a massive loss to Ireland.

Funeral Arrangements at St Patrick’s Cathedral

Following the public wake, Hansard’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin city centre at 1:30 pm local time. While the service is open to the public, venue officials warned that access inside the cathedral will be extremely limited given the enormous crowds expected. To accommodate mourners outside, a public address system will be placed outside the cathedral, and the service will be broadcast live on the RTÉ News channel and RIP.IE.

Music during the service will be provided by Glen’s friends and family. In lieu of flowers and gifts, the family requested that donations be directed to Dublin’s Simon Community, a homelessness charity, and Ukrainian Action.

A Storied Legacy Across Decades of Irish Music

Born in Ballymun, Dublin, on April 21, 1970, Hansard first rose to prominence as a teenage busker on the capital’s streets before co-founding the rock band The Frames in 1990. He also appeared on screen as guitarist Outspan Foster in Alan Parker’s 1991 film The Commitments.

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International acclaim followed when he starred alongside Markéta Irglová in the low-budget 2007 musical romance film Once. The pair won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 for Falling Slowly, later releasing three albums together as The Swell Season. Hansard maintained a prolific solo career as well, earning a Grammy nomination in 2016 for his album Didn’t He Ramble.

Global peers and fans shared an outpouring of grief following his death, with tributes arriving from artists including Bruce Springsteen, who stated he was heartbroken, and Ed Sheeran. Kevin Bret, who worked briefly as a roadie for The Frames in the late 1990s, summarized the sentiment shared by many mourners in Dublin by calling Hansard’s death a massive loss to the Irish music community.