Footage has emerged of Glen Hansard’s final performance, filmed just hours before the beloved Irish musician lost his life in a motorcycle crash outside Dublin.
On Tuesday night, Hansard stopped by The Wren’s Nest in Chapelizod, where he was a regular at the pub’s weekly traditional Irish music sessions (via RTE). Video from the evening shows Hansard seated in the middle of the room with his guitar, surrounded by fellow musicians as the crowd falls almost completely silent to listen. A clock hanging on the wall behind him reads 11:15 p.m.
In an especially stilling moment, Hansard sings in his distinctly raw cadence, “Time is the only thing that’s going to fix this now.”
The performance would prove to be Hansard’s last. According to The Wren’s Nest, Hansard left the pub at closing time. Several hours later, at approximately 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Gardaí, the “Guardians of the Peace” of the Republic of Ireland, were alerted to a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in the Strawberry Beds area of Dublin after a passerby discovered the scene. Hansard, 56, was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
The Wren’s Nest later paid tribute to Hansard, writing that it had “always [been] a privilege” to welcome him over the years and remembering the musician for “his incredible talent, generosity and the joy he brought to so many.”
Hansard’s management confirmed his death on Wednesday. Best known as the frontman of The Frames, one half of The Swell Season, and the star of the 2007 film Once, Hansard won the Academy Award for Best Original Song alongside Markéta Irglová for “Falling Slowly.”
Tributes have since poured in from across Ireland and the music world, with Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Warren Ellis, and President of Ireland Catherine Connolly among those honoring the late songwriter.
The circumstances of Hansard’s final performance echo how his career began. Long before his international success, Hansard busked on the streets of Dublin and continued regularly turning up at pubs and impromptu music sessions around the city throughout his career.
Watch footage of Glen Hansard’s final performance below.
Poignant Video. This was recorded 1 hour before Glen (Rip) was killed. He was in the Wrens Nest, Strawberry Beds at a session. pic.twitter.com/QFTzJ9tLu3
— Joe O’Neill 🐀 (@actingjoe) July 29, 2026
