Public wake for Glen Hansard to take place next week ahead of funeral

A public wake for actor and singer songwriter Glen Hansard will take place next Monday, ahead of his funeral.Hansard, the frontman of The Frames who also featured in the celebrated films The Commitments and Once, died in a motorbike crash on Wednesday, hours after taking part in a trad session at a local pub.He will lie in repose and members of the public can pay their respects at the Baroque Chapel at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin 8, between 11am and 4pm on Monday, August 3rd.Hansard’s funeral will take place at St Patrick’s Cathedral at 1.30pm on Tuesday. The service will be open to the public, but access inside the Cathedral will be limited, given the numbers expected.READ MOREThe funeral will also be live streamed, with music provided by his friends and family. Hansard’s family has asked that donations be made to the Simon Community and Ukrainian Action in lieu of flowers.Earlier, Markéta Irglová, Hansard’s musical collaborator with whom who he co-wrote the Oscar-winning song Falling Slowly, has expressed her condolences following his death.The Czech musician wrote the track with Hansard for the 2007 movie Once, which they both starred in, and was also part of a folk duo The Swell Season with Hansard, releasing three albums together.Hansard and Irglová first met in her hometown at a gig when she was 13 and he was 31.During the promotional tour for Once in 2007 they began a relationship which ended two years later.“My deepest condolences to Glen’s family, his brothers and his beautiful wife and son, you are all in my thoughts and prayers,” Irglová said on Instagram.“I am so sorry for your tragic loss, my heart goes out to you.“May his love always surround you, his spirit guide and protect you, and may his light shine on throughout your days.”Former US president Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen, US actor Rachel Zegler, Hamilton-creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and pop star Billie Eilish are among the high-profile names who have paid tribute to Hansard after his death.[ Glen Hansard was Ireland’s band leader, something Bono or Geldof couldn’t beOpens in new window ]Irish musicians Bono, Bob Geldof, Cait O’Riordan, Andrea Corr, and Hozier also paid tribute; a memorial busk was held in Dublin on Thursday for him by fellow buskers.As well as his musical career, Hansard has been praised for his activist work, particularly his support for the homeless.He began an annual Christmas Eve charity busk outside the Gaiety Theatre 16 years ago, drawing members of the public to see famous Irish musicians perform in aid of the homeless in the city.Hansard 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.The musician was originally from Ballymun in north Dublin but was living in Celbridge, Co Kildare. According to his death notice, he was predeceased by his parents James and Catherine. He is survived by his wife, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, son Christy (3), brothers Gary, Dylan, Richard and David and sister Martina, and “extended family, lifelong friends, fellow musicians, neighbours and by the many people throughout Ireland and across the world whose lives were touched, inspired and enriched by his music, friendship and generosity”. – Additional reporting PA