{"id":575998,"date":"2026-07-30T19:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T19:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/575998\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T19:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T19:50:11","slug":"barack-obama-pays-tribute-to-great-musician-glen-hansard-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/575998\/","title":{"rendered":"Barack Obama pays tribute to \u2018great musician\u2019 Glen Hansard \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former US president Barack Obama<\/a> has paid tribute to Irish musician, actor and activist Glen Hansard<\/a> following his death in a motorcycle crash<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

In a post on X, Obama included the Irishman\u2019s 2012 ballad Song of Good Hope among a list of tracks he has spent the summer listening to.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere are some of the songs I\u2019ve been listening to this summer,\u201d the former president said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt starts with a song Michelle and I love by Glen Hansard, a great musician who passed tragically this week. Our hearts go out to his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are some of the songs I’ve been listening to this summer. It starts with a song Michelle and I love by Glen Hansard, a great musician who passed tragically this week. Our hearts go out to his family. pic.twitter.com\/3A1trYfXfx<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The actor and director Ben Stiller<\/a> also posted a tribute: \u201cGlen Hansard was a brilliant artist. And a kind man. Sending love to his family.\u201d<\/p>\n

From 10am on Thursday, people waited patiently at Dublin\u2019s Mansion House to sign a book of condolences and pay their respects to Hansard.<\/p>\n

Amid the sadness over his death, there was plenty of laughter from those speaking about Hansard\u2019s lively character. Many had a personal story of the Ballymun native to share. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Glen Hansard was Ireland\u2019s band leader, something Bono or Geldof couldn\u2019t beOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\"SenatorSenator Frances Black signs the book of condolences in memory of Glen Hansard in the Mansion House on Thursday. Photograph: Sam Boal\/Collins <\/p>\n

Senator and musician Frances Black was among them. \u201cI think there\u2019s huge sadness in the country today,\u201d she said, describing The Frames frontman as \u201ca beautiful soul\u201d and a \u201cmagnet for love\u201d. <\/p>\n

Black, who has worked with Hansard, said: \u201cWhen you met Glen, he would make you feel warm. He had a lovely energy off him, there was no airs and graces about him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t just somebody who went out and gigged in big, huge venues. He really worked with people on the ground as well, and he really cared about homelessness<\/a> and many other issues.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"CatherineCatherine O\u2019Brien (5) with her mother Charlotte Deane from Mount Street signing the book of condolences in memory of Glen Hansard. Photograph: Collins <\/p>\n

Justin Cannon is a volunteer with Dublin Simon Community<\/a> who has known Hansard for about 20 years. He worked with the musician during the Apollo House occupation in protest of homelessness. <\/p>\n

\u201cGlen has done a lot for the people of Ireland. He has done a lot for the homeless,\u201d Cannon said. <\/p>\n

When he heard of Hansard\u2019s death, he was in disbelief: \u201cIt\u2019s put a dark day over Dublin.\u201d <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Glen Hansard: A singular, generous artistOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Dubliner Keith Maguire met The Frames frontman busking on \u201can ordinary night on Grafton Street\u201d. Maguire got a photo with Hansard, describing him as \u201cvery down to Earth, a normal person\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he wanted to show some younger family members what the Dublin busking scene was like,\u201d Maguire said.<\/p>\n

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Daryl Barron said: \u201cYou can see the people coming through the doors here this morning, the warmth towards him.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"AA small tribute to Glen Hansard in Dublin’s Mansion House. Photograph: Alan Betson <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve lost a good Dubliner today … a great storyteller for this city\u201d who \u201cdid so much for the city\u201d, Barron said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always thought of him every Christmastime at Bewley\u2019s … a very charitable individual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peter Comerford knew Hansard since he was 18. He worked in The Coffee Inn on South Anne Street where he said all the musicians and artists went. He described The Commitments star as an \u201cinspiration\u201d who has \u201cleft a lot behind him\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cHis music will live on … when he meets up with [the late singer songwriter] Mic Christopher up there, in the cosmos, and it\u2019s my time, I hope they both invite me to the great gig in the sky.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"PeoplePeople queue to sign the book of condolences on Thursday. Photograph: Alan Betson <\/p>\n

Martin and Astrid Salmon had travelled from Celbridge, Co Kildare, to pay tribute to Hansard. Martin met the musician several times, and said he was \u201ca terrible nice fella … very kind-hearted\u201d. <\/p>\n

During Storm Emma in 2018, the couple said Hansard drove through the snow in the village \u201cdelivering firewood to elderly people\u201d. <\/p>\n

Speaking of the impact of the activist and musician, Martin said: \u201cHe was an icon, God he\u2019s up there with Bono.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHe just wanted to help other people,\u201d said Astrid. <\/p>\n

Maria Buckley, from Dublin 14, described Hansard as a beloved friend of her family. Buckley said her sister and her husband \u201cgo to every Frames concert … they brought the children wearing special earmuffs\u201d. <\/p>\n

Speaking of Hansard and his impact, she said he \u201cis beyond praise … a literal gem\u201d. <\/p>\n

Syd Keane was a regular in Dublin\u2019s famous music venue Whelan\u2019s, where he spent a lot of time with Hansard during the 1990s. <\/p>\n

He remembered one night on the way home from a gig when \u201cthis kid grabbed him [Hansard] and asked him about 45 questions about The Commitments\u201d. <\/p>\n

Keane laughed when he said that, from Trinity College to the top of Harcourt Street, the frontman answered all his questions before he said: \u201cCan you let me arm go? … I can\u2019t tell you any more about The Commitments.\u201d <\/p>\n