Watch: Music stars and fans gather for funeral of Glen Hansard
By Jonathan McCambridge, Gráinne Ní Aodha, Rebecca Black and Claudia Savage, Press Association
Stars of Irish music and fans have gathered in Dublin for the funeral of Oscar-winning musician Glen Hansard.
Hundreds of people have also gathered outside St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin where large screens have been erected to screen the service.
Musicians Hozier, Declan O’Rourke, Jerry Fish and Imelda May are among the first to arrive at the cathedral.
U2’s Bono and actors Steve Coogan and Chris O’Dowd are also in attendance, as well as former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams and traditional musician Finbar Furey.
Tributes poured in from around the world after Hansard, the frontman of Irish band The Frames was killed at the age of 56 in a motorcycle crash on the outskirts of Dublin last week, hours after taking part in a trad session at The Wren’s Nest pub.
Thousands of mourners attended a public wake for the musician at the Baroque Chapel at the Irish Museum of Modern Art at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham on Monday.
Hansard featured in celebrated film The Commitments, and won an Oscar for best original song for Falling Slowly in 2008, which he co-wrote with Marketa Irglova for the movie Once.
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.
His funeral service began at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin at 1.30pm.
Several people had queued outside for hours to attend the service.
Among those who attended was Stefania Domesi from Italy.
She said: “I was here and then I heard about the funeral and the wake and I thought it was good to come.
“I really was astonished by the person that he was so I thought it was nice to come here.
“He was not just a musician and artist but he was a great person and he showed it in all his life.”
It was just the feeling that he brought to the music. You could see it in his eyes and his face
Theresa Martin travelled from Co Waterford to attend the funeral and was in the queue to enter the church.
She said: “It was just the feeling that he brought to the music. You could see it in his eyes and his face.
“It was true stories as well. It was unique.”
A number of traffic diversions are in place close to the cathedral to accommodate the funeral service.
