A sea of Harry Potter shirts as loved ones bid final farewell to Lyra
From the moment the 29-year-old's coffin arrived, applause rang out both inside and outside the cathedral.聽
Wednesday 24 April 2019 23:05, UK
In a sea of mourners wearing black, the Harry Potter scarves and Marvel T-shirts stood out.
The request to wear the merchandise from Lyra McKee's favourite books and comics was made by her partner days before the funeral.
"It's going to be a celebration of her life and if people would like to wear Hufflepuff, Harry Potter or Marvel-related items, I know she would love it," Sara Canning said.
Mourners at St Anne's Cathedral in central Belfast were only too happy to comply - with dozens wearing bright yellow jackets, Hufflepuff scarves and Marvel T-shirts.
Inside, Father Martin Magill spoke about Ms McKee's love for JK Rowling's wizarding series.
He said: "I hadn't heard the term 'Hufflepuff' until I did an internet search and found this definition: 'Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four houses; valuing hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fair play.'
"It struck me that the definition could just as easily have been about Lyra."
One of her friends, Stephen Lusty, revealed in a touching address to those inside how Ms McKee was planning to propose to Ms Canning in New York in May.
There were plenty of warm words for Ms McKee outside the cathedral from those who knew her.
Adrianne Elson, who attended the funeral with her partner Michael Steven, said Ms McKee's death was a "great loss to the LGBT community" because she engaged with people "who some of us are uncomfortable engaging with".
Author and columnist Ruth Dudley Edwards, who had known Ms McKee for five years, said she had a "huge instinct for truth", adding: "She was never thinking of the political implications of it, she just went after it."
Sean Cummins, 32, who had known Ms McKee for most of his life, said: "Lyra would have come here for us. It's important to send a message that everybody needs to come together and stop people setting up these type of groups and losing more lives."
And Damon Brennan, a friend of Ms McKee, said: "This [violence] isn't wanted any more and her death shouldn't be in vain."
In a sign of deepening concerns about violence in Northern Ireland, two journalists who came to pay respects to Ms McKee declined to talk on the record to Sky News due to concerns for their safety.
Ms McKee was shot in the head on the Creggan estate in Londonderry on 18 April as she reported on riots in the Northern Ireland city.
The so-called New IRA have claimed they were behind her killing.