Show summary Hide summary
Glen Hansard’s sudden death in a motorbike crash in Dublin has revived attention on one of his most personal subjects: becoming a father later in life. His public reflections on parenthood — and the way it reordered his priorities — now read with particular poignancy.
Fatherhood that changed everything
The songwriter, who died on Wednesday aged 56, became a father in 2022 when his partner, poet Maire Saaritsa, gave birth to their son, Christy. A few months after the birth, and before his annual charity busk, Hansard spoke candidly about how the arrival of his child had altered his view of life.
Significant new investment marks Portmarnock Resort’s 30th anniversary
No. 14 Henrietta Street museum honoured with European Heritage Award
“It’s the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me,” he said at the time, calling the experience “the most abstract and beautiful.” He described a sudden shift in perspective: his career and private concerns moved down the list of priorities. “I’m not the most important person in my own life anymore,” he said, explaining that the change felt both natural and profound.
There was tenderness in his remarks about family and loss. Speaking to the Sunday World, Hansard said it felt “incredible” to be serving another life and that he regretted his parents were no longer alive to share the moment. “My heart is blown wide open and everything I do now has to have purpose,” he added.
A Dublin tradition for the homeless
Hansard turned that sense of purpose into action each year with his Christmas Eve busk on Grafton Street. Since 2009 the event has raised money for the Simon Community, supporting people experiencing homelessness across Dublin.
The busk began almost by accident, Hansard recalled. After missing a Simon carol session while doing last-minute shopping, he felt compelled to return and play on the street. “I didn’t stop because I was too busy and I felt bad the next day,” he said. He went back, took out his guitar and gave the proceeds to the carollers.
What started as a spontaneous gesture soon attracted fellow musicians. Names such as Mundy, John Sheahan of The Dubliners, Damien Dempsey, Imelda May and Liam Ó Maonlaí joined the effort, and the event became a fixture of Dublin’s holiday season.
A late-night encounter with Bono
One anecdote that encapsulated Hansard’s mix of mischief and warmth involved Bono. Hansard once told how he persuaded the U2 singer to join the busk after helping him with a broken-down car at four in the morning.
“Bono’s car broke down at four o’clock in the morning. I helped him push his car into the garage and I said, would you be up for singing a few songs on Grafton Street?” Hansard recalled. He warned there would be “no lights, there’s no security, there’s no tickets, nothing, there’s not even a stage.” Bono agreed and came down — despite Hansard saying they had had very little contact before that night.
For many who knew him, the story summed up Hansard’s enduring connection to his city: a mix of generosity, humour and a rootedness in Dublin that informed both his music and his public life.
