NOBEL laureate and poet Seamus Heaney's last words to his wife were "don't be afraid", one of his sons has revealed at his funeral.
Family and friends joined contemporaries, dignitaries and hundreds of mourners to pay their respects to one of Ireland's literary greats.
The 74-year-old, who won the Nobel prize in 1995, died in hospital on Friday.
Mourners at the Sacred Heart Church in Donnybrook, Dublin - near where the Northern Ireland-born poet made his home - were led by his widow Marie and children Michael, Christopher and Catherine Ann.
Michael spoke briefly at the end of the service to thank those who cared for his father and those who have offered support and praise since his death.
"His last few words in a text message he wrote to my mother minutes before he passed away were in his beloved Latin and they read - 'nolle timere' ('don't be afraid')," he said.
Irish president Michael D Higgins, himself a poet, attended along with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and former president Mary McAleese.
Heaney's body will be buried in his native Bellaghy in Co Derry.
Paul Muldoon, a teacher, poet and friend of Heaney, gave the eulogy following the service. "We remember the beauty of Seamus Heaney as a bard and today in particular in his being," he said.
Fellow poet Michael Longley was among the mourners, along with musician Paul Brady and U2 stars Bono - with his wife Ali Hewson - the Edge, Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton.
Heaney has been hailed as the greatest poet Ireland produced since William Butler Yeats.
Former US president Bill Clinton has been among those paying tribute, describing Heaney as "our finest poet of the rhythms of ordinary lives" and a "powerful voice for peace".
A hastily arranged celebration of the poet's life in Belfast's Lyric theatre on Saturday night was packed to capacity as the audience was treated to poignant recitals of his best known works.
Books of condolences are open in Derry, Belfast and Dublin.
Politicians who attended also included Eamon Gilmore, Ireland's deputy PM, and senior Sinn Fein figures Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.
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