A week of deep emotions in Ireland: It started with unbridled joy, ended in unvarnished grief

It is, to coin a phrase, a week of two halves, one that begins with the airwaves awash with unbridled joy after the vanquishing of Irish sport’s most fabled hex, before being bathed in unvarnished grief following the tragic death of one of Ireland’s most cherished musicians. Baz Ashmawy, for one, sounds almost dazed after hearing Wednesday’s news that Dublin singer Glen Hansard has died in a motorcycle crash. “This is a big one,” says Ashmawy, standing in for Oliver Callan (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays). The presenter’s palpably stunned air speaks to the wider mood. Such is the suddenness of Hansard’s passing that it inevitably casts a pall over Mayo’s historic victory over Kerry in Sunday’s All-Ireland football final. Ashmawy, usually possessed of a roguish mien, overcomes his initial shock sufficiently to chat with journalist Victoria Mary Clarke, who remembers Hansard’s friendship with herself and her late husband Shane MacGowan. It’s the first of many heartfelt - if devastated - tributes to the Dublin singer-songwriter and Frames frontman throughout the day, including Ashmawy’s own recollection of the sense of ownership and pride that suffused the country when Hansard won an Academy Award for his song Falling Slowly from the movie Once.The sombre tone is in stark contrast to the euphoric mood that earlier prevails on Monday, as Mayo, along with most of the nation, celebrate the county’s first All-Ireland title since 1951. READ MORE“The outpouring of mania has been delightful,” says Callan, in the hot seat at the start of the week. The presenter is in typically dry form as he looks back on Mayo finally lifting the Sam Maguire after many painful failures. “We never again have to hear the keening and the yearning, it’s done. The whole country willed them to do it, except for a small part of the southwest.”Katie Hannon and Colm Ó Mongáin recap the All-Ireland final on Radio 1 Drivetime. Photograph: RTE Even Kerry people can’t begrudge Mayo’s long-overdue triumph, judging by the reaction of Katie Hannon, co-presenter of Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays). A native of the Kingdom, Hannon is generous in defeat, observing that the atmosphere in Croke Park was unprecedented. “I have never ever, ever, ever felt what was in the stadium at the final whistle yesterday,” she says of Mayo’s win. “It was the most emotional moment I have ever seen at a sporting occasion.” Co-host Colm Ó Mongáin attests that his colleague is taking the setback not so bad: “I’ve seen people more downbeat at losing a final.”As to why Mayo finally succeeded in reclaiming the title after 75 years, sports psychologist Stephen McIvor suggests that Kerry’s status as favourites worked in Mayo’s favour. “It’s always the advantage to be the underdog,” McIvor says, “it freed them up.” Still, as Ó Mongáin points out, the result was hardly a foregone conclusion. “As the great military strategist Helmuth von Moltke said: ‘No plan survives first contact with the enemy,’” the presenter says, surely one of the few times that a 19th century Prussian general is invoked in relation to Gaelic games.This geekily forensic eye to detail is again in evidence on Wednesday’s show, though a more solemn ambience prevails as the co-presenters cover the Hansard story.Ó Mongáin reminisces about first encountering The Frames via graffiti on Dublin walls, while Hannon remembers the singer as a distinctive figure in the capital’s musical landscape in the pre-Celtic Tiger era.Such anecdotes underline the impressive longevity of Hansard’s career. However, the full span of his remarkable talents is best captured by his fellow musicians, as when composer, violinist and former Frames member Colm Mac Con Iomaire talks to Hannon about his old friend with clarity and affection, not to mention admirable composure. [ Glen Hansard died in single-vehicle crash in Dublin in early hours of WednesdayOpens in new window ]Unsurprisingly, Hansard’s dreadfully untimely passing dominates Wednesday’s edition of Arena (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays), as host Rick O’Shea invites guests to reflect on the singer’s life and music. There’s an additional poignancy to the coverage; with bitter symmetry, it’s one day short of a year since the equally jolting death of O’Shea’s beloved predecessor, Seán Rocks, who had helmed the arts show since its inception.Despite this emotive backdrop, O’Shea navigates the occasion with thoroughness and sensitivity. Singer and actress Maria Doyle Kennedy recalls starring alongside a young Hansard in The Commitments, while commending his instinct for community and support. It’s a trait also highlighted by singer Lisa O’Neill: “He believed in younger musicians.” As to Hansard’s tireless activism, singer-songwriter Mundy recalls the origins of his late friend’s famed annual Christmas Eve busking session for Dublin Simon Community. However, while Mundy goes on to perform a full-throated rendition of The Frames’ signature song Revelate, it’s clear that he’s reeling from the news. “I’ve been crying all day,” the singer says, “it’s just bamboozlement to me.”Indeed, as O’Shea admits, all his guests are numb with grief: “You can hear it’s not the easiest thing to talk about.” As with the tributes heard elsewhere, the rawness of such testimony captures the broader feeling of disbelief and bereavement in a way that radio – a medium suited to intimate immediacy – is uniquely capable of. Moreover, by the time the programme ends, the listener is in no doubt about the depth and breadth of Hansard’s creative gifts, not to mention his profound personal decency.Awful as the circumstances are, the programme also underscores O’Shea’s abilities as a broadcaster. He has made the show his own, despite taking over in the stricken aftermath of Rocks’s death, and indeed despite the inexplicable foot-dragging of RTÉ management in making his post permanent. As Wednesday’s difficult programme demonstrates, O’Shea is an astute judge of tone as well as content. In his quietly self-effacing manner, he concedes that it’s too early to assess Hansard’s legacy, but goes ahead and asks anyway.It’s an impossible question, really. Yet, even as people mourn the immeasurable loss of such a towering musician – above all for his wife and young son – it’s Hansard himself who perhaps provides the best answer, certainly when it comes to inspiring artists and those who – like O’Shea and the Arena team - value Ireland’s cultural life. When accepting his Academy Award in 2008, Hansard concluded with a rousing call to action, one that’s repeatedly aired in the aftermath his passing: “Make art.” Amid the tragedy, it’s a triumphant valediction.Moment of the WeekSarah McInerney shares her family links to Mayo. Such is the wave of elation following Mayo’s All-Ireland win that several Radio 1 presenters attempt to surf it, despite lacking obvious affiliations to the county. For instance, while discussing the match on Drivetime (see above), Kildare native Colm Ó Mongáin opportunistically claims Mayo loyalties via his in-laws. In a similar vein, sports correspondent Darren Frehill sounds faintly discomfited as he chats to presenter Sarah McInerney on Morning Ireland (RTÉ Radio 1).“I have to say, that as a fellow Galwegian, I think you’ve gone a step too far this morning,” Frehill says, before revealing why he’s so perplexed at his Galway compatriot: “You’re kitted out in the Mayo jersey, fair play to you.” McInerney replies in defiant yet oddly sheepish manner. “It’s family links,” she says, “very strong family links.” Heavy on the Mayo, as it were.