Sinead O'Connor's funeral cortege has passed through the Irish town of Bray where thousands lined the streets
At one point, people broke into a rendition of O'Connor's 1990 hit Nothing Compares 2 U - the song that propelled her to fame
A rapturous round of applause greeted the procession as it paused outside the singer's home in Bray, County Wicklow
Fellow Irish rock singer Sir Bob Geldof was spotted as part of the procession
After the cortege had passed through Bray, there was a "moving and private" funeral for the singer
O'Connor died aged 56 after being found unresponsive in her London home a fortnight ago
Her death led to an outpouring of tributes from Ireland and across the world
Image source, RTEApplause is ringing out as the funeral cortege passes the seafront in Bray, County Wicklow.
The hearse is strewn with flowers, with mourners following closely behind. Reggae music continues to play.
The cortege also features a Volkswagen Beetle van and earlier we saw one parked outside O'Connor's home. The singer was known to be a fan of Beetle vans.
Image source, PA MediaShaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri met Sinéad O'Connor in 2018.
The funeral for Sinéad O'Connor today included a prayer by an imam - in respect of her Islamic faith.
The imam chosen to lead the Muslim funeral prayer said it was "an honour" to do so.
Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, who is an Islamic scholar and Chief Imam at the Islamic Centre of Ireland, met the star in 2018.
"Today, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead the Muslim funeral prayer for the daughter of Ireland, Sinead O'Connor aka Shuhada Sadaqat," he said, acknowledging the Islamic name she took on after converting to the religion.
"It is an honour to be part of this occasion, and I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the family for recognising and embracing her Muslim identity," he added.
Irish President Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar also attended the funeral service, which was private.
Image source, RTEDozens gathered outside O'Connor's former home in Bray to catch a glimpse of her coffin being driven past
The funeral cortege stops outside the singer's home in Bray, County Wicklow, where it is getting a rapturous round of applause.
The music being broadcast through a PA is momentarily stopped to allow for this moment of collective tribute.
The hearses are adorned in flowers and many people in the crowd are holding flags, including Irish tricolours and LGBT flags.
Image source, RTEMourners gathered to pay their respects to O'Connor are clapping as the cortege makes its way through Bray.
Music is playing through a loud speaker and, moments ago, many people gathered near O'Connor's broke into a rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U.
Image source, PAWe're hearing the cortege has left the funeral home and is now on its way to where thousands of people are lining the streets to pay tribute to Sinéad O'Connor.
The route will begin at the Harbour Bar end of Strand Road, where O'Connor lived for 15 years, and head along the seafront.
Watch it live at the top of this page.
Colin Paterson
Entertainment Correspondent, reporting from Bray
Liam Ó Maonlaí, lead singer of Irish band Hothouse Flowers, said Sinéad O'Connor would be remembered as "a great artist".
She was "willing to shake the shake the tree a little bit, to hold a mirror up to this so-called society that we're in", he said, "but was also somebody who changed pain into beauty".
Ó Maonlaí is in Bray to pay his respects because he was friends with his fellow singer - but that didn't mean he was spared her famously direct opinions.
"She was she was ballsy, you know," he told the BBC.
"She came to our first gig in London and she didn't like she it. She thought I was a poser, and she made it publicly known. But then she apologised to me.
"She was great fun, and rooted in what music means to the human identity," he added.
Image source, PA MediaAn enormous crowd of well-wishers has arrived outside O'Connor's home to meet the funeral cortege
Image source, ReutersThe guitar was a favourite instrument of O'Connor's
Image source, ReutersMany felt a strong connection to O'Connor's music
Image source, ReutersFans were emotional as they gathered to say their last goodbye
Born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor in Glenageary, County Dublin, in December 1966, the singer had a difficult childhood. She was the third of five children of Sean O'Connor and his wife Marie.
The couple had married young and their relationship, often stormy, ended when O'Connor was eight.
O'Connor eventually moved out to go and live with her father, but she often played truant to go shoplifting.
As a teenager, she was placed in Dublin's An Grianan Training Centre, once one of the notorious Magdalene laundries, originally set up to incarcerate young girls deemed to be promiscuous.
One nun bought her a guitar and set her up with a music teacher - which led to the launch of O'Connor's musical career.
At 16 her father moved her to a boarding school in Waterford, where a teacher recognised her talent and helped her produce a demo tape featuring two of her own compositions.
A meeting with the producer and composer Colm Farrelly saw them come together with other musicians to form the band Ton Ton Macoute.
They made an immediate impact and, when they relocated to Dublin, O'Connor dropped out of school to go with them.
Ali Gordon
BBC News NI
Image source, PA MediaToday's funeral processions will pass by Sinéad O'Connor's house on the Strand Road in Bray, where the singer lived for 15 years.
According to the singer's family, O'Connor "loved living in Bray and the people in it". The feeling appeared to be mutual.
Tom Dalton, a Bray-based musician who ran acoustic sessions in a local pub, recalled a new face joining his group Celtic Grace for an impromptu performance in 2019.
“People knew who she was but we didn’t make any fuss, nobody asked her for photographs or said anything to her.
“We didn’t want people hassling her because she only lived about four doors down, and then she left about an hour later. It was amazing."
Image source, ReutersHe added that she was a regularly seen in the town, walking along the seafront or attending a nearby college where she was training to assist people with mental health issues.
"She was just a phenomenal, phenomenal lady, and such a talent.”
Local Green Party councillor Erika Doyle told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that after the "initial 'wow' that we all did when she moved to Bray, we all left her alone and looked out for her".
"I like to think that she knew that, and I think that the family’s decision to have Sinéad pass by the seafront on her way home is maybe testament to that."
Image source, PA MediaFans and Gardai (Irish police) are gathering outside O'Connor's home in Bray, County Wicklow, ahead of the cortege
Sinéad O'Connor's funeral cortege will pass through Bray shortly.
We'll be bringing you the latest updates, but you can also follow our live stream by pressing the Play button at the top of this page.
A touching tribute to Sinéad O'Connor has been unveiled on a hillside in Bray, County Wicklow, where her she will be buried later today.
The tribute to the singer is made up of white letters nine metres high, spelling "ÉIRE SINÉAD" with a love heart in the middle.
Each of the letters was cut by hand, and then filmed from the air with the use of a drone.
Colin Paterson
Entertainment correspondent, reporting from Bray
A VW van has pulled up outside Sinéad O’Connor’s old house in Bray and is now playing her songs from four large speakers on the roof.
Her 1994 song Fire on Babylon gets a round of applause.
The owners say they were asked by friends of the family to come down and play her music because Sinéad loved VW vans. They will be part of the cortège.
The family chose the playlist, which also includes other songs like Mahalia Jackson’s Trouble of the World.
Image source, ReutersThe area outside Sinéad O'Connor's home in Bray, County Wicklow, is flooded with mourners holding up signs in tribute to the singer ahead of the funeral procession
Image source, PA MediaIrish police advised people to begin to gather from 10:30 local time, but many people arrived earlier with a big crowd expected
Image source, ReutersFans and mourners comforted each other at the late singer's home as they prepared to say a final farewell
Image source, RetuersThe funeral procession is expected to begin at about 11:30, with the funeral and burial service afterwards held in private
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Ali Gordon
BBC News NI
Fan Isabelle Ferrer says Sinéad O’Connor is "very important" to her
Isabelle Ferrer travelled from Dijon in France to say farewell to the singer. She arrived in Ireland on Monday night and will return to France tonight.
Speaking outside Sinéad O’Connor’s former home on Tuesday morning, she told BBC News NI the singer was her "favourite ever".
“Representing women, she was far ahead of her time, a long ago," she said.
Isabelle has a tattoo of O’Connor’s autograph.
“I liked her. It is important to me.”
While Isabelle never got to see her favourite singer in concert, she felt it was important to say her final goodbye in person.
“I thought maybe I would see her because she was doing a new album, in London, but I knew her. I knew her life. She is very important to me.
“It’s so weird that feeling, because I’m not her friend but it feels like I am. I think there is something about her soul, something about her," she said.
Authentic. An iconoclast. A beautiful and unique voice.
Those were just some of the tributes paid to Sinéad O’Connor in the wake of her death last month.
There were words from political leaders across Ireland. Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar said her music "was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched".
Irish President Michael D Higgins praised the singer's "authenticity" as well as her "beautiful, unique voice".
Of course, some of the most moving words came from the world of music. Singer Alison Moyet said O'Connor had an "astounding presence" and a voice that "cracked stone with force by increment".
"As beautiful as any girl around & never traded on that card. I loved that about her. Iconoclast," she added.
Musician Tim Burgess of The Charlatans said O’Connor "was the true embodiment of a punk spirit”.
The Smiths singer Morrissey wrote that "she had the courage to speak when everyone else stayed safely silent”.
Image source, PA MediaIt was almost a fortnight ago that the 56-year-old singer and activist was found unresponsive at her home in Herne Hill, south London.
She was pronounced dead at the scene. The police said her death is not being treated as suspicious.
At the time, a coroner's court said no medical cause of death was given and a post-mortem would be conducted.
The results could take "several weeks" and a decision on whether an inquest will be needed will be decided when they are are known, the court added.
Image source, PA MediaAt this stage we know a private funeral service will take place on Tuesday morning.
A funeral cortege will then pass through Bray, County Wicklow, stopping briefly to allow people to pay their final respects.
The seaside town is about 15 miles south of Dublin, where Sinéad O'Connor was born.
The cortege will start at the Harbour Bar end of Strand Road, where O'Connor lived for 15 years, and head along the seafront. It is expected to begin its public procession between 11:30 and 12:30, with the police saying it will stop briefly along the way.
People travelling to Bray have been encouraged to use public transport, with a big crowd expected.
Image source, PAGood morning and thanks for joining our live coverage as the world prepares to say farewell to singer and activist Sinéad O’Connor.
The singer’s funeral cortege will travel through the Irish town of Bray, County Wicklow, before a private burial later.
Irish police have advised people to gather from 10:30 local time, although fans have already begun to arrive on the streets near where the singer lived for 15 years.
Her funeral cortege is due to pass by her house between 11:30 and 12:30 after a private funeral service and before the singer is buried.
Stay with us as we bring you the latest and remember the life of one of Ireland’s most famous singers.