'A choir of angels in one man': Tributes continue for Glen Hansard as book of condolences opens in Cork
Glen Hansard playing at Trinity Summer Sessions earlier this month. Picture: Tara Keane.
The people of Cork City will pay their respects to singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who died suddenly on Wednesday, with the opening of a book of condolences.
The Lord Mayor of Cork, councillor Damian Boylan, opened and signed a book of condolences for the Oscar-winning musician on Thursday.
The book of condolences was opened at the City Library on Grand Parade, where library staff have prepared a memorial display in recognition of Hansard’s remarkable life and legacy.
Members of the public are encouraged to pay tribute to Hansard by visiting the library and signing the book.
“The last time I saw Glen Hansard perform live was at Live at the Marquee with Eddie Vedder,” the Lord Mayor said.
“It was a magical experience that I will never forget. Glen was an incredibly talented singer-songwriter and musician, who has been taken from his family far too soon.
“We extend our sincere condolences to his wife and child, to his family, and to his wide circle of many friends.” The City Library service said Hansard’s contribution to music and the arts will be remembered for generations.
Their memorial display in recognition of his life and legacy features a photograph of Hansard on stage, several albums by The Frames, some of his solo albums, and a DVD copy of the 2007 indie romantic musical comedy film, in which Hansard starred, and for which he co-wrote with Markéta Irglová the Oscar-winning song,
Tributes continued to pour in on Wednesday night and Thursday following the news of Hansard’s death after a motorcycle crash in Dublin on Wednesday.
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The 56-year-old died following a single-vehicle motorcycle collision near the Strawberry Beds, Lucan.
Sharing a video on social media on Wednesday night of a performance shared on stage with Hansard, U2’s Bono wrote: “Sometimes I would wonder if Glen Hansard really existed.... Seriously, he was such an angelic presence... not otherworldly...in fact, very present this presence… A smiling rascal if you needed him to be... this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun... no airs, plenty of graces...
Of course, Glen was the shining star of the Christmas Eve busk... sometimes the only one reminding the rest of us that Christmas began with a refugee born in a manger, which is hardly a step from living on the street.
“To be utterly yourself by being more interested in others - a clue for any of us trying out different personas. He really was who you thought he was. He could never walk by a person living rough without checking they were OK... and more than that, he worked very hard so that less people had to live on the streets in the first place.
“When the crowds got bigger and for safety's sake Glen had to agree to move the busk to a stage kindly provided outside The Gaiety Theatre, he would say 'we'll give it our best but it's not a busk if we're not on the street!' …..because that's who he was - a performer at eye level in any situation. The stage was a separation he wouldn't recognize. Of all the grand and gigantic venues he and The Frames played, you sensed the street was his most favoured place to perform. And street people, his favourite audience. Voice of the streets.
A choir of angels in one man. The rest of us blessed to stand there beside our very own and very earthed Angel Gabriel... All of us welcome in his choir, whatever shape or form.....
"And I'm telling myself this morning that if he never existed, then he can never cease to exist. For me, he will always be everywhere I see a coin spinning into an open guitar case. May you rest in the peace you gave to so many.”
Sharing a post to Instagram on Tuesday night, singer-songwriter Hozier wrote: “Sharing in the shock and sorrow today at the news that we lost Glen Hansard. Glen's legacy reaches far beyond that of an Irish or Dublin musician whose work became beloved globally; he was a uniquely central feature and vessel of Irish story telling on both stage, screen and street for as long as many of us can remember.
“Glen is so indelibly tied into the life and breath of Irish music, and particularly the city of Dublin, that it feels utterly surreal to imagine that he could be gone from us now.
“His beautiful work was an inspirational component of my own and so many others' upbringing and adult life, as was his consistent kindness, support and advocacy.
“This was a man who gave a remarkable amount of himself to song itself, to his shows, to the city he loved and to a community of musicians who loved and admired him dearly. I'll be among countless artists and fans today reflecting on his impact on our own life and work. My thoughts in particular are with his family and close friends at this moment.”
