Bagpipes, Brahms, and a Single Poem Complete Heaney Funeral

The funeral for Nobel poet laureate Seamus Heaney was held Tuesday at Dublin's Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart. Wildly affectionate eulogies were delivered (one referring to Heaney's fondness for stating "Blessed are the pacemakers" after he received the device). Heaney's friend and recording collaborator Liam O'Flynn then played Port na bPucai on the bagpipes. The only poem read at the service, written by the deceased, was The Given Note. The gathering concluded with Johannes Braham's famous lullaby on cello as Heaney's two sons and others shouldered the wood and brass casket. Here's the whole report from Associated Press; thanks to Koshin Paley Ellison for alerting me to it. Heaney's last words on his deathbed, written to his wife in Latin were "Noli timere" or "Do not be afraid."