Emily Zemler
View all posts by Emily Zemler August 6, 2026
The funeral for musician Glen Hansard in Dublin Damien Eagers/PA Images via Getty Images After a heartfelt performance at Glen Hansard’s funeral on Tuesday, U2 shared the “Beautiful Day” lyrics Bono and the Edge reworked for the occasion.
“Yesterday at Glen Hansard’s send-off at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Bono played a voice message from Patti Smith… her first reaction to hearing the news of Glen’s passing,” the band shared on Instagram following the funeral. “It’s a lullaby for Glen’s family… which was followed by Beautiful Day rewritten by Bono and Edge for Glen.”
The band posted the new lyrics in the caption and on the image of a painting of Hansard by artist Colin Davidson. They read: “See those eyes flashing landing light blue/ Seven towers holding up the sky for you/ Arrivals and departures, this is what we do/ You write your life ‘til the story becomes true/ Ginger cake smile, a movie star too/ If the street be your stage how come there’s thousands in the queue/ McDaid’s feels like a stadium but there’s only me and you/ You left a hangover from hell, of this there is no doubt/ But as you wake up in heaven, all the angels will shout.”
View this post on Instagram
During the funeral, held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin , Bono played a musical voicemail from Smith before reciting the lyrics of “Beautiful Day.” Eddie Vedder performed Hansard’s “The Song of Good Hope” with Markéta Irglová, who shared the 2008 best original song Oscar with Hansard for “Falling Slowly” from Once. Both singers joined a group performance of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.”
