Glen Hansard, an Irish singer who became a father for the first time at 52, said, “My heart is blown wide open.”
At the end of October, the famous composer and member of The Frames had a son, Christy, with his partner, the poet Maire Saaritsa.
His reaction was outstanding full of joy and happiness.
“This is the most unbelievable thing that’s ever occurred to me,” adds Glen. “You would expect anyone to say that… It feels precisely like that; it is the most abstract and lovely.
“Suddenly, you realize that everything is unimportant, including your life, profession, and thoughts. I am no longer the most significant person in my own life… It is usual for me to have been one day and not the next.
“It’s a great feeling to be helping this other life and family and to have an entirely new sense of family. My parents have passed away, and I regret they were not here to witness this. My heart has been blasted wide open, and now everything I do must have meaning.”
Oscar-winning musician Hansard is preparing for his annual charity busk, which has occurred in Dublin on Christmas Eve since 2009.
The singer and composer described how he initially convinced Bono to busk with him when he rushed to the U2 frontman’s aid early one morning when his car broke down.
Hansard also says that the yearly celebrity busk for the homeless came about by accident as he felt awful for ignoring a group of Simon Community carol singers while Christmas shopping.
“Simon was singing Christmas carols, and I was in town trying to buy the rest of my supplies when they asked me to sing a song,” Glen explains.
The Oscar-winner musician is now focused
“I did not stop because I was too busy, and the next day I felt terrible. I returned to town, retrieved my guitar, and thought, “I’ll perform a few songs and donate the proceeds to the carolers.”
“Then Mundy was there, and he jumped in with me and John Sheahan (The Dubliners), Damien Dempsey, Imelda (May)…because everyone was out shopping. Suddenly we had a bus. We had a situation where people were playing songs… Liam O Maonlai came along, and he did something. That’s where the genesis of the thing is.”
Then he describes how he met Bono by coincidence one morning, leading to the U2 star’s participation in the now-famous Christmas Eve busk.
“Bono’s automobile broke down around four in the morning,” recalls Glen. I pushed his car into the garage and asked, “Would you be interested in singing a few songs on Grafton Street?”
Then he said, “What is it?” I stated, “We’re simply busking, and then we’ll give the money to Peter McVerry, Simon, or whoever.”
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