Tributes continue to pour in for Irish folk musician Glen Hansard after his death in a motorbike crash in Dublin.
Members of the public queued up to sign a book of condolence at the Mansion House in the capital on Thursday, while famous musicians across the world thanked Hansard for his creative influence.
Visitors appeared tearful after leaving their condolences, calling Hansard a “musician’s musician” who had a gift of bringing people together.
A memorial busk is to be held at The Gaiety Theatre on Thursday evening, the location where Hansard would hold his Christmas Eve charity busks, where people are being asked to “bring a guitar” and “share memories”.
Hansard, 56, from Ballymun, was the frontman of Irish band The Frames, featured in celebrated film The Commitments, and won an Oscar for best original song for Falling Slowly in 2008, which he co-wrote with Markéta Irglová for the movie Once.
He began an annual Christmas Eve charity busk outside the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin city 16 years ago, drawing members of the public to see famous Irish musicians perform in aid of the homeless in the Irish capital.
He also took part in protests against Ireland’s housing crisis, a march to mark three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the anti-austerity water charge protests in 2014.
He died in a crash in the early hours of Wednesday, hours after taking part in a trad session at The Wren’s Nest pub.
The pub said on Instagram that it was “always a privilege” to host Hansard’s “incredible talent”.
Tributes poured in from across the world, including from Bruce Springsteen, U2, Bob Geldof and Ed Sheeran, after news of Hansard’s death emerged.
Springsteen said Hansard was “a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man”, while U2 frontman Bono described Hansard as an “angelic presence” and a “smiling rascal”.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of award-winning US musical Hamilton, posted to Instagram to say Hansard was a “once in a lifetime songwriter”, while US pop superstar Billie Eilish said she “wouldn’t be who I am today without Glen”.
Damien Dempsey said Hansard was the “Ballymun Bard” and “one of the finest songwriters I ever heard”.
“When you ripped into a song you’d rip the roof off the venue and rip your heart out of your chest and hand it to us,” he said. “A monumental power and a monumental loss.”
At the Mansion House, Dubliners and visitors to Ireland queued up to pay their respects to Hansard in a book of condolence that opened on Thursday.
People appeared tearful after signing the book, with some too upset to be interviewed and others who said “there are no words” to sum up their feelings.
“He was one of our own,” said Gary Carroll, a five-string banjo player from Malahide who is living in Maynooth.
Mr Carroll was on his way to go for a swim in Bray but said he had to stop at the Mansion House to pay his respects.
“He never forgot where he came from, he was with the crowd, the crowd followed him, he could mix with the crowd, he loved to go and play in sessions, and he’d bring the best out in people.
“If he seen someone struggling with a song, he’d help them out with it.
“That’s what music is all about, it’s about spreading it around.
“He learned his trade, like most musicians in Dublin, by going out in the street. It’s amazing, if you play in the street, the amount of confidence it actually gives you, because if you can play in the street you can play anywhere.
“And Glen was a firm believer in that and he pushed that message. He was all about helping the struggling musician coming up. He will definitely be missed.
“He was unique, special, and maybe someday, please god, they’ll name a street after him. He’ll be missed. It’s a sad day.”
Senator Frances Black, a former musician who met Hansard years ago, said he brought people together through his music.
“He encouraged young people to really get into the industry. He knew how difficult it was to get into the industry, and he just encouraged young people to keep performing and keep playing and keep writing songs, and I think that’s what made him special.”
Helen Prendergast from Galway said she was in “shock” when she was told the news in a charity shop.
“It took a while to sink in. He was a good guy, he was good to the homeless, he was a decent soul,” she said.
“I’m just very sad to see him go.”
Gerry Hannigan from Raheny said Hansard was “such an all-round man” and his death was “tragic”.
He said he admired the way Hansard started busking on the streets of Dublin, working his way up to a support act for Bob Dylan.
“He found out where Dylan would be practising, a practice room somewhere, he hired the room beside it and Dylan heard him – never talked to him but Dylan brought him on as backing.
“The only contact he had with Dylan was the last concert he had in England – he was standing outside the stage door. Dylan’s limousine went by and then came back and he opened the door and said ‘good gig’ and went off.”
Bobby Kans and his daughter Gigi, from Maryland in the US, had just landed in Ireland for a holiday when they heard the news of Hansard’s death.
“We were just coming into Dublin and we heard the news,” he said, wearing a T-shirt from Hansard’s US tour.
“We just saw him two months ago in (Washington) DC and I saw him a few weeks ago in (Philadelphia), and actually me and my best friend were going to take a journey here in October to see him and we had the trip all planned.”
He added: “His music will go on for us, I play him all the time. It’s nice the mayor had this today.
“His music just comes right into your heart. That’s why he’s a musician’s musician.”
Gigi Kans said they were glad to be in Dublin when he died.
“His artistry brought so much life and love to everyone, not just to the streets of Dublin but all around the world, and it’s about how to bring people closer together.
“It captured the true meaning of music – you can’t just do it for the money or for the gigs, he did it because he loved it and it showed in his music.”
