Westmeath man's memories of singing with Glen Hansard

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Local musician Neil Moran has spoken of his cherished memories of meeting Glen Hansard, describing the late singer-songwriter as a genuine and generous person who inspired generations of musicians.

Hansard, lead singer with The Frames, tragically died following a road traffic accident in Dublin in the early hours of last Wednesday morning, prompting an outpouring of grief from fans and fellow musicians.

Neil, who has been a fan of Hansard’s music since he was a teenager, said the musician had a huge influence on his own musical journey and was one of the reasons he picked up the guitar.

The Kilbeggan singer-songwriter first met Hansard after attending one of his concerts in Galway in late 2017. Afterwards, Neil and his friend Stephen went for a drink in a Galway pub, where Hansard later arrived.

“There weren’t many seats in the place, and he asked, ‘Do you mind if I sit down beside you?’” Neil said.

What followed was an impromptu evening of music, with the group sharing songs and a few pints together.

“When you meet one of your heroes, it was brilliant just to say that I got to sing with him,” Neil said.

Coincidentally, just two weeks later, the pair had another chance meeting, this time in a Kilbeggan take-away.

Neil had been playing music in a local pub on St Stephen’s Night and had gone for food afterwards. He turned around and saw Glen Hansard walking into the chipper.

“I had the guitar on my back from playing in the pub and I said, ‘We’ll do a few songs,’ and he said, ‘Oh, we will indeed!’”

The two musicians then shared a memorable session, performing several songs together, including 'The Auld Triangle', Bob Dylan's 'You Ain't Going Nowhere' and one of Hansard’s own compositions.

Neil also played an original song he had written with another local musician.

“He was asking me, ‘Do you write songs yourself?’ and I said I do,” Neil said. “We went and played one of the songs we had written for him.”

Neil said what stood out most was Hansard’s kindness and willingness to give people his time.

“He’d just give you all the time in the world. He was a really nice, genuine guy,” he said.

The news of Hansard’s death came as a major shock to Neil.

“One of my friends had texted me and I thought maybe it was one of those fake things you’d see online,” he said.

“It took a long while for it to settle in, and even now it’s hard to believe.”

Neil said he had always imagined Hansard continuing to perform for many years to come.

“I thought it would be something like going to see Christy Moore, I thought we'd be going to see Glen when he was 80,” he said.

The memories of their meetings now carry even more meaning for Neil, who still has the guitar that Hansard played during their Kilbeggan session eight and a half years ago.

“I’m looking at my guitar and it’s the same guitar he played on that particular evening,” he said.

Neil said Hansard’s influence could be seen among musicians throughout Ireland.

“We'd do a lot of his songs throughout our sessions over the years,” he said.

“He’s a huge part of the reason I would have picked up the guitar. There are lads throughout the country who would probably say the same thing, a big part of the reason they started singing was because of him.”

For Neil, the chance meetings with Glen Hansard created memories that will remain with him forever.

“It was just such a great sing-song, and great memories I’ll have for the rest of my life,” he said.