Irish musician Glen Hansard dies at 56: The Czech story behind ‘Falling Slowly’

Glen Hansard, the Irish singer-songwriter whose collaboration with Czech musician Markéta Irglová created one of the country’s most internationally recognized cultural moments of the 21st century, has died. He was 56.

Irish police said the single-vehicle motorcycle crash occurred near Dublin early Wednesday morning and that Hansard died shortly afterward.

Hansard, who achieved global acclaim alongside Irglová, developed a particularly strong connection with Czech audiences through decades of musical collaborations, performances and friendships within the country’s cultural scene.

The musician first came to wider attention as a teenager through his role as guitarist Outspan Foster in the 1991 film The Commitments and later as the frontman of Dublin rock band The Frames.

However, it was his collaboration with Czech vocalist and pianist Markéta Irglová that launched him to international stardom.

Hansard and Irglová’s collaboration grew into the folk duo The Swell Season, taking its name from Prima sezóna (The Swell Season), a 1975 book by Czech author Josef Škvorecký.

The pair later starred in John Carney's 2007 independent film Once. The film’s breakout song, “Falling Slowly,” co-written by Hansard and Irglová, became an international hit and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008.

But before Once, Czech director Jan Hřebejk’s 2006 film Kráska v nesnázích (Beauty in Trouble) helped launch the musical partnership between Hansard and Irglová, featuring early versions of songs, including “Falling Slowly,” that would later become famous through Carney's film.

The song's path to Oscar glory was not without controversy. Because "Falling Slowly" had already appeared in Hřebejk’s film and had been performed publicly before Once was released, its eligibility for the Academy Awards was challenged.

The Academy ultimately ruled that the song remained eligible, finding that its prior exposure did not disqualify it because it had not received significant public release before Once.

The Oscar marked a milestone for Czech music, with Irglová becoming the first Czech musician to win an Academy Award.

In May 2025, he reunited with Markéta Irglová for a The Swell Season concert at Prague’s Forum Karlín, nearly two decades after their Oscar-winning song “Falling Slowly” brought their collaboration global fame.

He returned to Prague one final time in May 2026, performing at the Velký sál Lucerna. Hansard last appeared in Czechia in June this year at the Slunovrat festivals in Opava and Valašský Špalíček in Valašské Meziříčí.

In recent years, Hansard lived between Ireland and Finland with Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa and their young son. 

He remained active in music and social causes until his death, including campaigns focused on homelessness in Ireland, while continuing to tour internationally. 

"He was an element that truly lived the way he wanted to and always did what he wanted to do. And from all of this came amazing art that truly came straight from the heart," Zlata Holušová, who was the director of the Colours of Ostrava festival for 25 years, where Hansard performed with The Frames in 2006, told ČTK.

Petr Fiala, leader of the Mňága a Žďorp band, described Hansard as a "modest guy." Fiala recalled first meeting Hansard through the Irgl family in the Moravian town of Valašské Meziříčí.

"Marek [Markéta Irglová’s father] handled their bookings in the Czech Republic in the early days. Glen was completely devoted to music; he was always playing and singing. He was a humble guy who started from the very bottom with the same old, beat-up guitar until he made it big, to the point where Bob Dylan invited him to his birthday party. He was very approachable, open and kind," Fiala told ČTK.

Hansard's most recent performance was at the town's 44th annual folk festival on June 20.

"He returned there this year exactly 25 years after his band, The Frames, first visited the Czech Republic and Valašské Meziříčí," festival program manager Karel Prokeš said.

Hansard developed a lasting affection for the town after that first visit. Over the next quarter-century, he returned regularly, often to unwind after demanding tours, and nearly every visit ended with an impromptu performance at the local M-Club.

The town became a second musical home for the Irish singer-songwriter, reflecting the deep personal ties he built in Czechia long before international fame.