Bono, Eddie Vedder and Hozier Honour Glen Hansard at Dublin Funeral

Glen Hansard was farewelled at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin on Tuesday, 5 August, one week after the Irish singer died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 56.
The congregation inside the cathedral read like a festival lineup. Bono and The Edge, Eddie Vedder, Hozier, Imelda May, Jake Clemons and Liam Ó Maonlaí were among the mourners, according to Billboard. A wicker coffin sat at the centre of the service, as the Irish Times reported. Hansard's wife delivered a speech during the ceremony, while his son was too young to attend.
Bono told the congregation that everyone who met Hansard remembered the day they met him. He also played a voicemail from Patti Smith that included a lullaby she had recorded for Hansard's loved ones. Bono and The Edge then performed a spoken tribute inspired by U2's "Beautiful Day."
Eddie Vedder sang Hansard's "The Song of Good Hope," joined by Markéta Irglová — the Czech pianist and singer who, with Hansard, formed The Swell Season. The two won the Academy Award for best original song in 2008 for "Falling Slowly," from the film Once. The service closed with Bob Dylan's "Forever Young," performed by Bono, Vedder, The Edge, Ó Maonlaí and a choir.
Hansard's brother, Richie, delivered a eulogy. Among the mourners was a homeless man who had once served Hansard rashers in his tent, as the Irish Independent reported — a detail that traced directly to Hansard's long-standing advocacy for people experiencing homelessness, including his annual Christmas Eve busking performances on Dublin's streets.
The turnout had been building since before the funeral. Over 11,000 people attended a public wake on Monday 3 August at the Baroque Chapel of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, RTÉ reported. Separately, a memorial busk assembled musicians near Grafton Street in Dublin city centre, with people gathering to sing in tribute, RTÉ reported.
Hansard first came to prominence as frontman of The Frames, the Dublin rock band he formed in 1990. He later reached a global audience with The Swell Season and went on to release five solo studio albums. Bruce Springsteen and Ed Sheeran were among those who publicly paid tribute following his death on 29 July, RTÉ reported.
The funeral closed a week in which a city known for its music matched the man's own scale — not in star power alone, but in the number of strangers who simply showed up.


