Dublin has come together this morning to say a first farewell to Glen Hansard as a public wake for the Oscar-winning musician gets underway.
The wake began at 11am in the Baroque Chapel at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, where Hansard is lying in repose.
It is set to run until 4pm, with members of the public invited to pay their respects to one of the country’s most cherished performers.
Hansard, 56, from Ballymun, died in a motorbike crash in the early hours of Wednesday, hours after taking part in a trad session at a local pub.
The frontman of The Frames, who also appeared in The Commitments, is survived by his wife, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, and their three-year-old son Christy.
His death has drawn tributes from around the world, from Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen to Bono, Hozier and his Once co-writer Marketa Irglova.
The wake is the first of two days of public mourning.
Hansard’s funeral takes place tomorrow at St Patrick’s Cathedral at 1.30pm, and is also open to the public, with a PA system outside and the service streamed online and broadcast on the RTE News channel.
The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Simon Community and Ukrainian Action.
