In tribute of the late Glen Hansard, U2's Bono read out the band's track, 'Beautiful Day' at the late singer's funeral in Dublin today.
This comes after Hansard was killed in a motorcycle accident last week while travelling back from a trad session at the Wren's Pub, Dublin.
Hansard's funeral took place at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin city centre at 1.30pm, which was also open to the public. A public wake had previously been organised in honour of Hansard on Bank Holiday Monday in Dublin, taking place at the Baroque Chapel.
Bono and Glen Hansard had been close friends, having both taken part in the first ever Christmas Eve busk on Grafton Street, which had been organised by Hansard, raising funds for the Simon Community, a homeless charity.
At the funeral, Bono told those in attendance that everyone who met Glen Hansard "remembers the day they met him".
He also told those who gathered that he had woken up to a voice message from Patti Smith, "another one of his best friends", after she had heard of Hansard's death. Smith was unable to attend the funeral herself, and was represented by her friend, Tony Shanahan.
“It’s a lullaby for Glen’s family and friends", he added.
The U2 singer played the message he received from Smith, before going on to read the lyrics from Beautiful Day. He also sang the final chorus with his bandmate, The Edge.
Elsewhere, Bono had earlier been seen arriving at the funeral with his wife, Ali Hewson and also spoke to Victoria Mary Clarke, widow of the Pogues singer, Shane MacGowan. Glen Hansard had performed 'Fairytale Of New York' in honour of MacGowan at his funeral in 2023.
The funeral was also attended by actors Steve Coogan and Chris O'Dowd, as well as traditional musician, Finbar Furey, and former Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams.
Last week, a group of musicians had gathered around Dublin City centre for a special busking session in honour of Glen Hansard, playing a range of his tracks, including his Oscar winning hit, Falling Slowly.
The busk was organised by a musician called, Jamie Harrington, who hails from the same Ballymun suburb where Glen Hansard grew up. They had gathered around the Gaiety Theatre, where Hansard had held his annual Christmas Eve busk. More on this here.
