'Don't be afraid': Seamus Heaney's final message revealed at his funeral The final message from Ireland's Nobel laureate poet was "Don't be afraid." Seamus Heaney's last words, sent in a text message to his wife from his hospital bed, were revealed at his funeral in Dublin today. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and Irish President Michael D Higgins were among the gathered mourners at the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart that also included novelists, Bono and The Edge from rock band U2 as well as former Lebanese hostage Brian Keenan. Ireland's foremost uilleann piper Liam O'Flynn played and the celebrated poet's friends offered readings and remembrances about his life. The 90-minute service ended with a cellist's rendition of "Brahms's Lullaby." The 74-year-old Heaney died in a Dublin hospital on Friday. He will be buried later in his native Bellaghy, in County Londonderry. Hollywood actor Stephen Rea, Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell and former Irish president Mary McAleese also attended the service. Heaney, who won the Nobel Prize for literature 23 years ago, has been hailed as the best Irish poet since Yeats. He wrote about the strife of his native Northern Ireland, the ancient cultures of Europe, of Catholic faith and Celtic mysticism, and the immutability of family ties. His work will be known to many young Britons as it became a key feature of the GCSE English Literature syllabus. Marie Heaney and Catherine Ann The eldest of nine children, born on 13 April 1939, Heaney won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995 and was made a Commandeur de L'Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 1996. He attended a Catholic boarding school in Londonderry, and later at Queen's University Belfast, before making his home in Dublin, with periods of teaching in the US. He was an honorary fellow at Trinity College Dublin. One of Heaney's three children, Michael Heaney, delivered an address from the pulpit during the funeral ceremony. He revealed his father's final words, directed in a text message to his wife Marie. Michael Heaney said the words to his wife were "written a few minutes before he passed away, in his beloved Latin. And they read: 'Noli timere.' Don't be afraid. News of Heaney's final words reportedly prompted tears from Marie and only daughter Catherine who were sat in the front row beside the flower-topped coffin. Michael and Heaney's other son Christopher were among those who carried his coffin from the church which was greeted with applause from the hundreds gathered outside. Heaney's family will travel several hours north from Dublin to his family home in Bellaghy, a Northern Ireland village that was the fountainhead for much of his work, where he will be buried in the family plot. Thousands queued to sign books of condolence opened this morning in Dublin, Belfast and the Northern Ireland city of Londonderry. On Sunday a crowd of 80,000 observed a minute's silence in his memory at a Gaelic football match between Dublin and Kerry. Additional reporting from AP U2 singer Bono (right) arrives with his wife Ali Hewson Former frontman of The Pogues Shane MacGowan English actor Dominic West Actor Stephen Rea Click here to see more images