Oscar-winning musician and actor Glen Hansard killed in motorbike crash in Ireland

Oscar-winning musician and actor Glen Hansard has been killed in a motorbike crash in Dublin.

The 56-year-old, who shot to fame in The Commitments and later with his band The Frames, died following the single-vehicle crash near the Strawberry Beds area in Lucan just before 4.30am.

Irish police did not name Hansard as the victim, but said in a statement that "the motorcyclist, a man in his 50s, was treated at the scene but was pronounced deceased a short time later".

The statement continued: "The scene has been preserved for examination by Garda [Irish police] forensic collision investigators. Local traffic diversions are currently in place."

Hansard, a married father-of-one, won an Academy Award for best original song in 2008, for Falling Slowly, co-written with Marketa Irglova. The song featured in the hit indie movie, Once, in which the pair starred.

He played Outspan Foster in the cult hit The Commitments, the 1991 film based on Roddy Doyle's first novel. He performed as a musician with The Frames and the duo The Swell Season, and also as a solo act.

During his career, Hansard collaborated with artists such as Eddie Vedder, Bono and Bruce Springsteen. A clip of him performing on stage with Springsteen in 2013 was shared on his Instagram account less than 24 hours before his death.

He was well-known for busking with the U2 frontman on Dublin's Grafton Street every Christmastime, and was involved with various charitable and social causes. He also played a powerful rendition of Fairytale of New York during the funeral for Shane MacGowan in 2023.

Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the crash to contact them, and have urged motorists who may have dashcam footage to come forward.

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Ireland has seen a surge in road deaths in recent years. Another man, a motorist in his 40s, was killed in Co Clare on Wednesday morning and the Gardai have appealed for road users to slow down.

Some 107 people have been killed on Irish roads this year, 15 more than at the same time last year, which itself saw the highest number of deaths in a decade.

(c) Sky News 2026: Oscar-winning musician and actor Glen Hansard killed in motorbike crash in Ireland