Since he first made a splash onscreen as a member of The Commitments in 1990, Glen Hansard has become one of the most significant Irish musical forces of a generation, first as the frontman with The Frames, more recently as a formidable solo artist of note.

Along the way, he picked up an Oscar for Falling Slowly, the song he co-wrote for John Carney's celebrated film Once, in which he starred alongside musical cohort Markéta Irglová - the duo also recorded a pair of albums as The Swell Season. 

Tonight, he'll be celebrating his half-century with a live hooley on Instagram - your invitation is below.

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We're celebrating this singular talent with a selection of classic moments from the RTÉ archives - let's kick things off in a memorable fashion with his powerful reunion with Frames cohort Colm Mac Con Iomaire on a recent edition of The Late Late Show:

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Here's Glen in conversation with John Kelly, picking some of his favourite tunes and waxing lyrical with John Kelly on the Mystery Train Sunday Service on RTÉ lyric fm: 

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Via the RTÉ Archive, back in 2008 Glen and Markéta return from Oscar glory for a chat and a tune with Ryan Tubridy:

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These days, his solo shows have become the stuff of legend, as he takes fans on a musical journey through 30 years of classics - via RTÉ 2XM, here he is at the height of his musical powers, live from Munich.

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Let's bring it all back home with a tune from The Frames - here they are rocking the Other Voices stage in 2011 with an epic rendition of one of his signature tunes, Fitzcarraldo. Happy Birthday, Glen...

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