More than 11,000 people attended a public wake in Dublin for Irish singer and songwriter Glen Hansard ahead of his funeral on Tuesday. The Oscar-winning musician died in a single-vehicle motorbike crash last week.
The wake took place in the Baroque Chapel at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Kilmainham, Dublin, from 11:00 to 16:00 local time. Trad musicians played under the stained glass window in the chapel, where Hansard's wicker coffin was laid on a table adorned with greenery and apples.
Two of his guitars were at the foot of the coffin, which some mourners laid their hands on as they passed. Others left flowers, cards and notes as a tribute to him.
A queue of hundreds of people who came to pay their respects snaked around the venue on Monday morning.
Among those paying their respects was Hansard's former partner and collaborator Markéta Irglová.
DJ Sinead Ni Mhorda, who was among the first in line on Monday, said Hansard had
"a raw talent that is joyous and all-consuming and life-changing"
"He's done so much for Irish music. He really was a trailblazer for a lot of singer-songwriters, he brought people under his wing,"she told the Press Association.
"He had such a generous spirit."
Singer songwriter Zoe Hayter met Hansard when she was 10 years old.
"I never, ever thought someone could change your life in the best way possible,"she said.
"The whole world is crying, and there'll never be anyone like that, and I'll never stop loving him and I know no-one else will."
Ronan Buckley, who was joined by his wife Rebecca and their two children, Leah and Lily, had been to many of the musician's concerts.
He told NI that Hansard's outlook on life was
"brilliant"
"We have the kids here today and they're also fans through us."
"It's just a massive loss to Ireland,"added Rebecca.
Danni Rohde is a big fan of Hansard's band, The Frames, and has been to about 50 of their concerts, including one of his final performances on 3 July in Trinity College Dublin.
"It's just such a big part of my late teens, early 20s,"she told NI.
"That whole part of my life is just tied to Frames gigs, when they were playing more or less every weekend.
Her mother Miriam Rohde Joyce said they wanted to come to pay their respects.
Chris James said he saw Hansard busking for the first time 25 years ago in Dublin's Grafton Street.
He was near the top of the queue and said he had been waiting about half an hour.
"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."
When is Glen Hansard's funeral?
Hansard's funeral is due to take place in St Patrick's Cathedral on Tuesday in central Dublin at 13:30 local time.
The news of his sudden death shocked the music world and fans alike, with tributes being paid from the likes of Ed Sheeran and Bruce Springsteen, who said he was
"heartbroken"
Hansard had a storied career in music across more than three decades, including winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 with Marketa Irglova, which featured in the low-budget musical romance film Once.
He and Irglova released three albums as The Swell Season, while Hansard also encountered success as a solo artist with 2016 album Didn't He Ramble being nominated for a Grammy in 2016.
Key Facts
- More than 11,000 people attended the public wake at IMMA in Kilmainham, Dublin.
- The wake ran from 11:00 to 16:00 local time in the Baroque Chapel.
- Hansard died in a single-vehicle motorbike crash last week.
- His funeral is due to take place at St Patrick's Cathedral on Tuesday at 13:30 local time.
- He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008 with Markéta Irglová.
