At the Luke Kelly statue in Dublin, a group of guitarists gathered together to pay tribute to another iconic Irish musician. On 29th July 2026, folk musician Glen Hansard sadly passed away in a motorcycle crash. The very next day, these musicians came out in full force to pay tribute to his music. They began to play a cover of his song ‘Falling Slowly’ from the musical ‘Once’, and Music Man readers will be touched by how emotional the moment became as the group sang.
It was clear there was a mix of emotions in the group. Many had somber expressions as they sang, and things became particularly emotional when a young person joined the group in tears, clearly deeply moved by the moment. Alongside the grief, though, there was a sense of celebration for Glen’s life and career, infusing the moment with a powerfully hopeful energy. Viewers online thought the tribute was absolutely perfect, one commenting, “This is exactly the tribute Glen would have asked for.”
When I watched the video, I was amazed by how many musicians were playing. To see over a dozen guitarists come together in perfect unison to play tribute to Glen’s work was very touching, and the sound they made was wonderful. Then, as I listened, I realized the sound was beginning to grow. It was only when the camera shot changed that I realized how huge the crowd truly was, filling the entire street. It struck me just how many people wanted to show their appreciation for Glen and his music.
This group may have been some of the first to pay tribute to Glen after his passing, but they are certainly not the last. Music Man readers will not be surprised to discover that, since then, tributes and covers have been rolling in, from teenage buskers Kyla Belle and Rhys McPhillips on the streets of Dublin to Ronan Keating at his Lüneburg concert. Most recently, popular street musician Karolina Protsenko has joined her two friends in a moving tribute to Glen’s music.
When a popular musician passes away, there is a period when the news is full of coverage of the passing, and everyone takes a moment to appreciate their legacy. However, it speaks to how much Glen’s music truly touched people’s hearts that so many have come out in full force and sung on streets across the world to pay tribute to him. The fact that, almost a month on from his passing, people are still coming out with new covers and tributes just shows that people are not ready to let go of this legendary musician quite yet.