Lisa O’Neill Honors Glen Hansard Three Years After They Performed at Shane MacGowan’s Funeral

In a tragically full-circle moment, less than three years after performing alongside Glen Hansard at Shane MacGowan’s funeral, Lisa O’Neill paid tribute to Hansard at his own service with a moving rendition of “Old Note.” O’Neill performed the song at Hansard’s funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin on Tuesday, August 4th. Joined by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Joseph Doyle, and Michael Buckley, she delivered an ethereal and deeply affecting rendition of the track, which originally appeared on her album, All of This Is Chance. Before beginning, O’Neill shared the song’s backstory, recalling how Hansard gave her the keys to an apartment in Dublin with soaring ceilings, where she went on to write All of This Is Chance. His advice, she said, was: “Let your imagination grow in this big space and write songs.” Hansard arrived at the cathedral in a horse-drawn hearse, with his wicker coffin carried shoulder-high into the church by family members. The coffin was topped with flowers and photographs of Hansard with his wife, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, their three-year-old son Christy, and his late mother, Catherine. During the service, Saaritsa thanked the Gardaí and first responders who c...