29/07/2026
In 2016, The High Hopes Choir had one of those days that stays with you forever.
We were invited to spend an afternoon with Glen Hansard before later joining him on stage in Vicar Street. On paper, we were spending time with an internationally acclaimed musician, an actor, an Academy Award-winning songwriter and Grammy winner. But that's not who we met.
We met a man.
A man who never saw labels. He never saw homelessness. He never saw people as "different." He saw singers. He saw performers. He saw equals. From the moment we arrived, every member of the choir was treated with the same respect and encouragement as anyone else sharing a stage with him.
Glen has always used his extraordinary gift of music to shine a light on homelessness, not from a distance, but by standing alongside people, listening to their stories and reminding them that they matter.
That night in Vicar Street, he played for almost four hours, taking the audience on an unforgettable journey until the early hours of the morning. After giving everything he had on stage, when most people would have been exhausted, Glen still had one more thought.
He made sure a member of his team organised a taxi home for every single member of the High Hopes Choir.
That simple act told us everything we needed to know.
Character isn't measured by awards, sold-out concerts or international success. It's measured by how you treat people when the spotlight fades.
To us, that's the kind of man Glen Hansard is. Humble. Compassionate. Generous. Someone who has never forgotten that music is about bringing people together and reminding every person of their worth.
Thank you, Glen, for seeing us, believing in us, and showing us that kindness is often the greatest performance of all.
❤️🎶
KindnessMatters
