Glen Hansard funeral: Crowds begin to gather ahead of service in Dublin

Main PointsMourners queued at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham to pay their respects to Glen Hansard at a public wake on MondayThe musician’s funeral will take place at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin city centre at 1.30pm on Tuesday; it will be available to watch live from this article when the service beginsKey ReadsGlen Hansard was a leader, an indomitable force and a natural disruptorTributes paid to Glen Hansard: ‘A troubadour whose gift for storytelling brought so much joy’Glen Hansard: A life and music career in picturesNiamh Browne - 7 minutes agoIt is not just Irish artists that have travelled to pay their respects at but international stars too, including Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. Conor Pope described the scene, saying that “every now and then a fleet of SUVs arrives to a soundtrack of camera clicks”.Niamh Browne - 14 minutes agoThe funeral set up is very elaborate and split between the general public, the VIPs and family and friends, writes Conor Pope. The former U2 manager Paul McGuinness, artist Guggi and Hozier have all been seen entering the church as have former Commitments band mates Andrew Strong and Angeline Ball. John Sheehan from the Dubliners also arrived, as well as Tom Dunne from Something Happens and activist Dean Scurry.There wasn’t even standing room in the church a full 90 minutes before the service was set to start.Paul McGuinness arriving for the funeral of Glen Hansard at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. The Oscar-winning Irish musician and activist died in a motorcycle crash last week. Picture date: Tuesday August 4, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Damien Eagers/PA Wire Niamh Browne - 42 minutes agoFans gather in St Patrick’s Park An hour ahead of the funeral service, fans, buskers and mourners gathered outside St Patrick’s Cathedral. Queues have already begun to form, musicians played live in the adjacent park and some mourners have secured spots in front of the large screen which will broadcast the funeral from inside the church. Fans gather outside St Patrick's Cathedral 40 minutes ahead of Glen Hansard’s funeral Niamh Browne - 52 minutes agoTributes to Glen HansardSince the musician’s death last week, tributes have poured out from politicians, public figures and musicians both internationally and here in Ireland. Among them, was Bruce Springsteen, who shared a statement describing Hansard as “a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man”. Closer to home, at Waterford music festival All Together Now, Kildare musician Christy Moore dedicated a performance of The Auld Triangle to the Ballymun star, remembering him as a dear friend and collaborator. In the political sphere, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of Hansard, who he said was “a talented musician and actor who made a significant contribution to Ireland’s cultural landscape over many years”.On the streets of Dublin, members of the public and buskers turned out in their droves to honour Hansard, who himself was a lifelong busker. Watch: Dublin buskers pay tribute to Glen HansardDublin's buskers turned out to pay tribute to Glen Hansard who died in motorbike crash in Dublin last week. Video: Enda O'Dowd Niamh Browne - 1 hour agoGlen Hansard funeral: Glen Hansard’s funeral is taking place today at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin at 1.30pm. The Oscar winner and Frames frontman died in the early hours of July 29th. The 56-year-old died following a motorcycle crash at the Strawberry Beds, Lucan, before 4.30am.According to a brief Garda statement, which did not name Glen Hansard, the incident took place on a stretch of Lower Road, between Tinkers Hill and Rugged Lane.“The motorcyclist, a man in his 50s, was treated at the scene but was pronounced deceased a short time later,” the Garda said.The funeral is open to the public, however access inside the cathedral is extremely limited given the huge numbers paying tribute to the musician.