We'll end our live page coverage reflecting on the life of the late John Hume, with some scenes from his funeral Mass in St Eugene's Cathedral, in his native Derry.

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In his funeral address, John Hume Jr paid a warm tribute to nursing staff and carers who looked after his father in the years before his death.

"In the last two years, when he lost his mobility and his sight, he moved to Owen Mor nursing home," Mr Hume's son said.

"In this, his last home - and it was a home, a home for all of us - all of us as a family were made very welcome and became part of a new community of families and carers."

Like many other residents' families, they were unable to visit Mr Hume for several weeks during the Covid-19 lockdown because of infection control measures.

However, John Hume Jr said the family knew that "the care and nursing staff in Unit One were doing all their absolute best to care deeply for him and for all his fellow residents".

"We know that he continued to sing songs every day; to teach them all a wee bit of French; to tell jokes; to demand more buns and to question everyone daily about where they came from, their origins and their families.

"Although he remembered nothing, Dad remained deeply interested in every individual he met, right down to the end of his days."

"You couldn't meet nicer people" than John Hume and his family, the former vice-chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board has said.

A long-time friend of the late Mr Hume, Denis Bradley said the funeral was "in many ways, more powerful without the clutter of celebrities being present".

Due to coronavirus restrictions on gatherings, there were limited numbers at the funeral Mass in St Eugene's Cathedral.

"It was a deeper memorial because it was so personal and family orientated," Mr Bradley told the BBC's Talkback programme.

If his friend was still alive, Mr Bradley thinks "he would be saying to us, 'politics goes on, it doesn't end here and there's a lot of work to be done, we're going to face a lot of things like Brexit and constitutional issues".

He said Mr Hume's legacy will live on.

"We have to live together, we have to be together, we have to find ways of reconciling each other to each other.

"We're not going to get it all - it is going to be a shared island."

Alliance Party leader and Justice Minister Naomi Long said John Hume's funeral "felt like a family" one.

She was among select mourners at St Eugene's Cathedral this morning.

"Above all John was somebody who loved his family," she told BBC's Talkback programme.

"It was fitting that it was a family-oriented funeral and I think the respect and love that people showed by placing the candles in their windows showed the reach he had.

"It was a love of people and passion that he had that drove his politics."

She said everyone could learn from John Hume's care for people.

"At the end of the day politics is about representing people but if you don't care about people and love people and want to help them it is very hard to do that well," she added.

Image source, Reuters

During the funeral Mass, John Hume's son, John, addressed mourners.

Summing up his Dad’s life in a few minutes is “not an easy task”, he said.

He said that for “a man who supposedly had only one single transferable speech, Dad did a lot of different things in his life”.

“He also made us laugh, dream, think and sometimes look at him and scratch our heads in amazement."

Watch the clip of his address below.

John Hume's coffin was placed in a hearse and driven out of the grounds of St Eugene's Cathedral for a burial service.

The burial ceremony is private due to Covid-19 restrictions, but close family members will attend, as he is laid to rest.

Phil Coulter was among the mourners at the funeral Mass, and, as noted earlier, played The Town I loved so Well as Mr Hume's coffin was led out of the cathedral.

Ahead of the service, in the cathedral grounds, he recalled John Hume's love for that piece of music.

Members of Owen Mor Care Home in Londonderry where Mr Hume died were among those invited into the cathedral for today’s service.

Earlier this week, the Hume family described his care as “exceptional”.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster, political correspondent Enda McClafferty said the nursing home staff were regarded as part of the Hume family.

“They are part of their extended family because they were there when no other member of the family could be there, guiding John through very difficult times during the lockdown,” he said.

“We got a sense of the great efforts people went to in the nursing home to ensure that John was allowed to do his singing, that he was allowed to be entertained by friends before the Covid-19 restrictions came in and how much the [nursing home] family, in the Hume’s eyes, played a key part in all of this.”

Mourners gathered in the grounds of the cathedral burst into applause as Mr Hume's coffin is placed into the back of the waiting hearse.

Bishop McKeown has now given the final commendation. Mr Hume is being led out of the cathedral to the sound of his beloved The Town I love So Well, played by his friend and fellow Derry native, Phil Coulter.

The beautiful rendition of Táimse im Chodladh, after Communion, was performed by Frank Gallagher on the flute.

As noted earlier, he is the musical director for the funeral, and is a native of Derry.

An acclaimed musician, record producer and arranger, he has toured internationally with artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Andre Rieu, Sinead O’Connor and Mary Black.

Mr Gallagher was musical director at the funeral of George Best at Stormont in 2005.

He is a friend of the Hume family and his grandfather taught John Hume history at St Columb’s College in Derry.

Earlier, we reported that plans to create a John and Pat Hume Foundation are at an advanced stage.

Fr Farren told mourners that Pat Hume's place in Irish history must be recorded.

"There’s an old comment that says behind every good man there is a good woman. In Pat Hume’s case this is one quarter the truth," he said.

"You stood beside him to love and accompany him even in the most difficult times and when his health failed and his mind got weaker you walked in front of him to lead him

Image source, REUTERS/Lorraine O"Sullivan

"You encircled John with love compassion and support and it was your presence that made his work possible.

"When the history of Ireland is written, if Pat Hume’s name is not beside John’s, it is an incomplete history of Ireland.

"John and Pat have secured their place in the history of Ireland."

One of John Hume's sons, Aidan Hume, could not attend the funeral as he lives in Boston and could not travel due to Covid-19 quarantine rules.

However, he composed a poetic tribute to his father, which was read out at the Mass by his sister.

Aidan Hume's poem was read in full, but it included the lines:

"You made us realise a border is just a line on a map

It's in our hearts and minds where we need to bridge the gap

Through over 30 years of violence; hurt and unrelenting stress

Those underlying conditions you never stopped trying to address

Difference is but the accident of birth

And everyone has the right to the same self-worth

Patriotism is the spilling of sweat, not blood

The glory of the gun is a myth that is truly a dud."

"He [John Hume] is the only person in the world to receive the Nobel Peace Prize the Ghandi Peace Prize and the Martin Luther Peace Prize," Fr Farren added.

"In the midst of all of this, John was a proud Derry man first and foremost.

"His commitment to Derry was second to none."

Fr Farren said the long-standing politician always "made peace visible for others".

"His vision revealed what could be and with time and determination and single-mindedness and stubbornness he convinced others that peace could be a reality," he told mourners.

"He never lost faith in peace and he never lost faith in his ability to convince others that peace was the only way.

"If ever you want to see a man who gave his life for his country, and his health, that man is John Hume."

"John Hume never passed by on the other side", Fr Paul Farren has told mourners during his homily at the funeral Mass.

"John never kept a distance, he stopped, he showed compassion, he got involved, he gave dignity and life to so many people."

Image source, PA Media

In normal circumstances John Hume's funeral would have drawn huge crowds and world figures, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic, numbers inside the cathedral are very much restricted.

Mourners in the church are observing social distancing guidelines and have been pictured wearing face coverings.

The funeral service is being broadcast live for those who cannot attend.

The Catholic Bishop of Derry told viewers: "Many of you would have wished to be here in person. But that is not possible for reasons far beyond our control."

Some members of the Hume family, including one of his sons and several of his grandchildren, are living abroad have not been able to travel to Northern Ireland for the service due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The musical director for the funeral is Frank Gallagher, who is a native of Derry.

An acclaimed musician, record producer and arranger, he has toured internationally with artists including Dame Shirley Bassey, Andre Rieu, Sinead O’Connor and Mary Black.

Mr Gallagher was musical director at the funeral of George Best at Stormont in 2005.

He is a friend of the Hume family and his grandfather taught John Hume history at St Columb’s College in Derry.

U2 lead singer Bono was among the world-famous figures who penned a tribute to John Hume which was read out at the beginning of the funeral.

The rock star's words were read by Bishop McKeown.

Image source, PA Media

Bono wrote: "We were looking for a giant and found a man whose life made all our lives bigger.

"We were looking for some superpowers and found clarity of thought, kindness and persistence.

"We were looking for revolution and found it in parish halls with tea and biscuits and late night meetings under fluorescence.

"We were looking for a negotiator who understood that no-one wins unless everyone wins...and that peace is the only victory.

"We were looking for joy and heard it in the song of a man who loved his town so well and his missus even more.

"We were looking for a great leader and found a great servant.

"We found John Hume."