Glen Hansard and his "Commitments" co-star Angelina Ball.RollingNews.ie
The musician, who died on Wednesday, was known for his generosity, helping raise millions for homeless charities over the course of his career.
But company filings show Hansard also made sure he had his own little nest egg tucked away, with combined net assets of just over €1 million held through the two private companies he used to channel his recording and performance income.
The most recent accounts available for Plain Records Limited and Plateau Records Limited — filed to December 2024 and November 2024 respectively — show Hansard as sole director and 100 percent shareholder of both.
Plateau Records held the bulk of the value, with net assets of €1,027,188, largely made up of cash reserves of €692,493 and freehold land and buildings worth €352,646.
Plain Records had a quieter year by comparison, closing with retained earnings of €6,935 after a loss of €125,654, with a director’s loan account showing the company owed Hansard personally €207,695.
Combined, the two entities carried a net worth in the region of €1.03 million as of their last filing dates.
A photo of Glen Hansard next to his book of condolences at the Mansion House in Dublin.
Since founding the Christmas Eve busk on Grafton Street in 2010, Hansard helped the Dublin Simon Community raise more than €2 million for people experiencing homelessness, drawing the likes of Bono, Imelda May and Dermot Kennedy to join him year after year.
The charity said he had been a true advocate for its work and a giant in the fight against homelessness, with a deep respect and empathy for the people he met through it.
Hansard, 56, died in a single-vehicle motorbike crash at the Strawberry Beds, Lucan, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Gardaí said the motorcyclist, a man in his 50s, was treated at the scene but was pronounced dead a short time later.
Glen Hansard.
His management company confirmed the news that afternoon, saying his family was heartbroken and had asked for privacy.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin led the tributes, saying he was deeply saddened by the loss of a musician and actor who made a lasting contribution to the country’s cultural life.
Born in Ballymun in 1970, Hansard formed the rock band The Frames in 1990 and fronted the group for more than three decades, releasing six studio albums.
He first reached a global audience through the 1991 film "The Commitments", and international fame followed with 2007’s "Once", in which he starred alongside Markéta Irglová as a busker navigating a tentative romance with a Czech immigrant.
Glen Hansard.
The film, shot on a shoestring budget with handheld cameras, produced the song "Falling Slowly", which won Hansard and Irglová the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008.
"Once" was later adapted into a Broadway musical, winning eight Tony Awards in 2012, including Best Musical.
Hansard and Irglová also performed as The Swell Season before he launched a solo career, releasing "Rhythm and Repose" in 2012 and "Didn’t He Ramble "in 2015, the latter earning a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album.
He is survived by his wife, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, and their young son.
Fans gathered on Wednesday evening at his old busking spots in Dublin to pay tribute, leaving flowers, candles and battered guitars in his memory.
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.