The emotional farewell to Glen Hansard with Bono, Eddie Vedder and Imelda May

BarcelonaHundreds of people said goodbye this Tuesday to the Irish musician Glen Hansard, who died last week at the age of 56 in a motorcycle accident, with an emotional funeral that brought together family, friends, and artists at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. The ceremony was attended by musicians such as Bono, Eddie Vedder, Hozier, Imelda May, and actors Steve Coogan and Chris O'Dowd. From the early hours of the day, followers and musicians filled the temple and performed songs by Hansard, who won an Oscar for best original song for Falling slowly, composed jointly with Markéta Irglová for the film Once, which they both starred in. From the giant screens installed in the cathedral gardens, an emotional crowd followed the funeral, which was also broadcast live on various local and international television channels.

To say goodbye to Hansard, several colleagues from the profession recited poems and sang during the farewell, which began with the widow of Hansard's words of thanks to the police officers who assisted the musician after the accident. Two of his brothers, Richard and Gary, also had words of remembrance for Hansard. The latter also performed I can see God along with the members of The Frames, the rock band that Glen Hansard led for years. One of the most emotional moments of the ceremony was Bono's speech during the funeral. The musician played the message that singer Patti Smith left him upon learning that Hansard had died and then recited the lyrics of U2's song Beautiful day modifying some fragments to suit the occasion. The band's guitarist, The Edge, was also present at the burial.

Another of the moments that were widely shared was the duet performed by Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder with Markéta Irglová, who after starring in Once with him, continued collaborating with the group The Swell Season, which released three albums, in 2006, 2009, and last year, in what was a much-celebrated reunion of the group. Both honored their friend with the song The song of good hope, by Pearl Jam.

The dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, William Morton, highlighted "Glen's extraordinary gifts and exceptional talent, which moved so many hearts and took him from the streets of Dublin to audiences around the world." Hansard started as a street musician and never lost that direct connection to popular music. In fact, the motorcycle accident happened while he was returning from participating in a traditional music session in a pub.