PHILIP NOLAN: To his fans, the late Glen Hansard was THE voice, the unmistakable growl that often gave way to melodic simplicity... and that voice defined a generation

IT HARDLY seemed possible that Glen Hansard was gone. Glen Hansard on Christmas Eve, 2019, at the annual busk outside Dublin's Gaiety TheatreTo his fans, Glen was the voice, the unmistakable growl that often gave way to melodic simplicity, and it defined a generation. Glen James Hansard was born in Ballymun on April 21, 1970 to James and Catherine Hansard, one of six siblings. I was about 12 and a half, and I listened to Bob Dylan and my whole world just flipped. The headmaster was astonished by Glen’s taste in music, Dylan and Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Van Morrison.