Bono, Eddie Vedder and Hozier among mourners at Glen Hansard’s funeral
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
Fresh details have emerged from Glen Hansard's funeral in Dublin, including an emotional tribute from his widow, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, who thanked him "for the life we shared, searching for truth and beauty side by side" and spoke of their three-year-old son, Christy, saying "the bright spirit he inherited from his father is with us." The service at St Patrick's Cathedral also saw Bono recite and then lead the congregation in singing U2's "A Beautiful Day", joined by bandmate The Edge, while the coffin left the church to mourners singing Bob Dylan's "Forever Young".
Hansard, the 56-year-old Oscar-winning singer and former Frames frontman who died in a Dublin motorcycle crash last week, was remembered with musical performances by friends including Eddie Vedder and his former partner Markéta Irglová, who performed his song "The Song of Good Hope" together. Other performers included Liam Ó Maonlaí, Damien Dempsey and traditional musician Breandáin Ó Beaglaoich, who called Hansard "an ordinary kind-hearted Ballymun man… a true Dub". Mourners also included Hozier, Steve Coogan, Imelda May and Cait O'Riordan, alongside representatives of Irish President Catherine Connolly and Taoiseach Micheál Martin, following a public wake held the day before.
- Hansard's widow paid an emotional tribute to him and their young son
- Bono led mourners in singing U2's "A Beautiful Day" at the service
- Coffin left St Patrick's Cathedral to a singalong of "Forever Young"
New here? Start with this
Bono, Eddie Vedder and Hozier among mourners at Glen Hansard's funeral
Glen Hansard was an Irish singer-songwriter best known as frontman of the band The Frames and one half of the duo behind the film Once, for which he won an Academy Award for the song "Falling Slowly". He died aged 56 last week following a motorcycle crash in Dublin, prompting an outpouring of tributes from across the Irish and international music world.
His funeral took place at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, following a public wake the day before. Those attending included figures from music, film and public life, reflecting the breadth of Hansard's career and friendships built up over decades in the Irish arts scene.
More coverage