Colm Gavin and Sadhbh Keane were inspired by the Oscar-winning singer songwriter
Photo by Liam Murphy
Tributes to Glen sung by local buskers at Luke Kelly statue
LOCAL buskers from Clondalkin and Tallaght were amongst the group that performed by the Luke Kelly statue in Dublin city last Thursday evening to pay tribute to the late Glen Hansard.
The Oscar- and Grammy-winning Irish musician died at the age of 56 following a motorcycle accident in Lucan last Wednesday morning.
Hansard was the founder of The Frames, one half of The Swell Season and a well-known figure internationally – he had begun his career by busking on Dublin streets at the age of 13 and is a key figure for people in the Irish music scene in the years since.
Clondalkin’s Sadhbh Keane and Colm Gavin, as well as Tallaght’s Luke Clerkin were among the singers present at the sing-along to remember an important person on the Irish music scene.
The buskers who performed some of Hansard’s hits, as well as a few with a strong connection to the musician, had all met him along the way.
Sadhbh Keane told The Echo that the get-together was “a really special way” to remember the man. Sadhbh said: “It was a really special way to remember Glen.
Glen was all about bringing musicians together and musicians coming together for a cause, so it was really special.”
Glen organised the annual Christmas busk events on Grafton Street that have seen the likes of Bono and Dermot Kennedy step out alongside him and perform for the people in aid of the Simon Community.
Sadhbh met Glen every year for the past few years at the busk and noted that he was “always helping younger musicians to get a leg-up.”
One of the song’s performed by the group near the Gaiety Theatre was ‘Heyday’, by Clondalkin’s Mic Christopher, who was closely associated with Glen.
Hansard had organised and performed at several tribute concerts dedicated to his fellow Irish musician. Mic’s fellow Clondalkin man Colm Gavin has been inspired by both artists, and developed a connection with Hansard after he also began busking in Dublin city.
Colm has been taking part in the famous Christmas busk since 2012, and recounted when he first met him.
Colm said: “I started out as a busker and he would pass you on the street, and one thing about him was that he was really inclusive.
“So, if there was something happening that he felt you’d want to be a part of, if he bumped into you on Grafton Street, he’d say, ‘look, there’s this thing tomorrow at four o’clock, just turn up in your car and be there’.
“That’s really the type of guy that he was.”
