Czech-Icelandic singer, songwriter, pianist, and actress Marketa Irglova was in a two-year relationship with recently deceased Irish singer, songwriter, and actor Glen Hansard from 2008 to 2009.Now aged 38, Irglova first crossed paths with Hansard, her publisher dad Marek Irglova’s friend, when she was 13 and he was 31, at a Czech music festival organized by her parents for Glen’s band Frames. They later began a romance when she turned 18, during the 2007 promotional tour for their indie Irish romantic musical drama, Once. It was later adapted into a Broadway musical in 2012.The 18-year age gap between the romantic partners and collaborators has now sparked a debate online in the aftermath of his fatal motorcycle accident in Strawberry Beds, Dublin, Ireland, on July 29, at age 56.“I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it’s important to note the nature of his relationship with Marketa Irglova. She was 12 and he was 30 when they first met (he knew her dad and stayed with them), made me view ONCE (a film I loved) thru a completely different lens,” an X user wrote.“At first, I was really sad about Glen Hansard's death and then... NOPE. This is why we can't have nice things,” a Threads user added with a Wikipedia screenshot of the ‘Personal life’ column of Glen Hansard.“Glen Hansard literally admitted that he fell in love with A KID. Epstein sh*t. F**king nasty to mourn this,” another individual commented.Others defended the couple.“Glen and Marketa Irglova publicly said any romance began when she was an adult. They made music together for nearly 20 years. Using his death to spread a false accusation isn’t justice or ‘speaking truth.’ It’s disrespectful to him, to his family, and to Markéta’s own account,” a netizen wrote.“Maybe you ought to consider how Marketa feels about it instead of vulture signalling,” another person stated.It is noteworthy that both Irglova and Hansard eventually moved on to other relationships. In fact, he is survived by his wife and Finnish poet Maire Saarista and their 3-year-old son, Christy.All we know about Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard’s relationshipMarketa Irglova and Glen Hansard formed the folk-rock duo The Swell Season in 2005 and released a self-titled album the following year and the sophomore project Strict Joy in 2009.Around the same time, The Swell Season documentary was created focusing on their personal and professional partnership, including the making of the record, going on a world tour, and starring in Once. In it, Hansard was heard saying:“I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she's just a kid… Marketa and I have walked somewhere else [since then] and we’re in different parts of our lives now. It’s great to revisit this because it was the pivotal moment of my life, the biggest so far, so I can only really see it as a blessed project.”Glen also recalled how Once writer-director John Carney (also his former Frames bandmate, aka a bassist) said during the filming:“About the third day in, John started predicting that we'd get together. He kept joking and calling us his Bogart and Bacall.”Meanwhile, Irglova said:“I fell in love with him instantly. It's kind of mad, but it’s true.”In 2008, the pair went on to win an Oscar for Best Original Song for Falling Slowly from the soundtrack of Once, which also earned a Grammy nomination. While accepting the award, Marketa Irglova said:“Hope, at the end of the day, connects us all.”Ahead of the recognition, Glen Hansard told the Washington Post:“I know it sounds trite to say it, but we really didn't expect anybody to see it. I'm deeply proud of the fact that people have responded to it, but I'm flabbergasted… It looks like it was shot on a mobile phone. People see it and they think there's something wrong with the sound in the cinema. But that's just the way it sounds!”Once was filmed in the streets of Dublin across 17 consecutive days without any rehearsal, lighting, wardrobe, or permits. Originally, Guy’s role was supposed to be played by Cillian Murphy, who backed out at the last minute and Glen Hansard took the place opposite Marketa Irglova’s Girl. Before that, the now-late musician was hired to score the music for the movie. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAbout the Tony and Grammy-winning Broadway rendition, Hansard told the NY Times in 2011 that he thought a live musical would “ruin what was special” about the movie. Marketa Irglova, on the other hand, said:“As long as there wasn’t anybody saying I want to re-edit our movie, I was OK. But still, you want to make sure the story works onstage.”The former couple later served as the composers for the Broadway project. Glen told Irish Voice he could finally sit back and watch it and appreciate the story. Meanwhile, Marketa Irglova thought:“Now I can see Once for what it was and what it’s becoming to this new cast. And I really like what I see. My advice is to wipe the slate clean of what you think you know from the film. This is something new and it’s magic.”After a decade-long hiatus, The Swell Season reunited in 2022 and released their third album, Forward, in 2025. It remains the duo’s final work.In a November 2011 interview with Hot Press, Marketa Irglova spoke about how her debut solo project Anar was “different” from the one she did with Glen Hansard:“I feel that the biggest difference is that Glen can be very dynamic and very passionate. He can go very loud as well as very quiet, whereas in Swell Season I was always aiming for a harmonious sound. When I’m singing without him, I’ve lost that dynamic he added to our collaboration. But it’s become a thing of its own, which is very feminine.”Marketa Irglova recalled her teenage years when Hansard visited her parents’ house and every time it felt like “Christmas” and her entire family was in “love” with him.“Glen has that power – people fall in love with him left, right and centre. I’ve noticed that he’s like the sun. He vibrates with very powerful energy, so when you meet him, you instantly feel that love. I felt something very timeless about meeting Glen, like I already knew him. I felt like he was part of me… I’m able to make more sense of that feeling nowadays than I was then. I translated it as this very strong attraction. I felt a sense of belonging around Glen.”Marketa Irglova explained that Hansard always treated her as an “equal” and “at par” with him and gave her the “freedom to just be.” She also explained she felt “pure love” for Glen even before they began dating.“I thought it wasn’t going to become anything. I could still feel it. He was such a hero to me. I did hope that someday I would be old enough to be with him. And we did end up together, and we shared a very special time. It was through what I was sharing with Glen that I first heard and discovered the idea of unconditional love.”Back then, Marketa Irglova shared she and her former partner had been “teaching and learning from each other” and while they parted as lovers for their “own reasons,” she would “never stop loving Glen” or wanting to be “supportive and encouraging” of him.“I’ll always want what’s best for him. I can still have him in my life and connect with him and see what he’s doing, and be happy about what makes him happy. I will never be anything but grateful for him coming into my life and bringing what he brought and sharing what we shared. It was an opportunity in every sense – musically, but also the opportunity for spiritual growth that the relationship offered us.”Today, Marketa Irglova is married to Icelandic record producer Sturla Mio Porisson. They have three children. For a year before that, she was married to sound engineer, bassist, and Anar producer Tim Iseler.