In a statement shared to his website and social media platforms today, Glen Hansard has announced that he's cancelling all of his upcoming overseas gigs for the rest of the year.

His European tour, which was scheduled to begin in May, had originally featured numerous dates in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Poland and Germany. Although those gigs will be cancelled, he revealed that The Frames' highly anticipated anniversary show at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin on May 28 will still go ahead.

"I’m really sorry to report that I won’t be touring abroad for the rest of this year," he writes in the statement. "Due to personal Family matters, I can’t travel too far from home right now. I’m needed here, and so I’ve had to make the difficult decision to cancel all touring for the rest of the year."

He describes it as "an especially difficult decision after waiting so long to get back to work", and notes that his band and crew are "at the forefront" of his mind: "along with all the people who’ve supported me/us and our music through the years."

"Thank you for your ongoing support and understanding,"  he continues. "The Frames anniversary show will go ahead as planned, as it is in Dublin and we’ve waited so long to do it. Again my sincere apologies."

Please read for an important update about Glen’s tour schedule - refunds will be available at point of purchase.
Text here: https://t.co/fOUKoOqjuV pic.twitter.com/jlfzrDz6zJ

— Glen Hansard (@Glen_Hansard) March 29, 2022

Hansard was set to be joined on the tour by special guests Lemoncello. The acclaimed Irish duo have posted on their Instagram Stories following today's announcement, stating: "We hope to be able to share a stage with Glen and bring our music to Europe soon."

Earlier this month, Hansard performed a string of shows in America with Markéta Irglová – marking the 15th anniversary of the film Once.

In his cover story interview with Hot Press in December, Hansard spoke about life, art, family, new projects, and the pandemic.

“In a way, it was good for me to get off the road,” he said of lockdown. “I’d been touring flat-out for 15 years. I know for a lot of people it was very hard, and for me it was hard too. But being at home, I was tuning into the family more, and getting into regular habits. Walking the dog. Making the dinner. Making sure there’s wood in the shed. Simple, day-to-day stuff – that is the poetry of life. I was very much in that mode.”

He also opened up about the loss of his mother during Ireland's first lockdown.

“It’s a powerful thing, to lose your mother,” he reflected. “I’m stating the obvious, but it’s the biggest. That’s the place you came from, literally. That’s your first home, and it’s gone. I’ve had homes knocked down, and it feels very strange. The home I grew up in was knocked down. But when your mom goes, your home is really gone.”

Read the full interview here, and see the full list of cancelled international dates here.