Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral: All walks of life congregate for ‘awe inspiring’ experience in Lisburn

People across NI gathered in houses, parks and civic buildings across the province to watch the event, virtually unprecedented in the living memory of the UK.

Large screens were brought in to broadcast live the funeral procession and service at Westminster Abbey, which started at 11am.

Belfast City Hall and other venues across Northern Ireland set up big screens so people could gather to watch the state funeral together.

Coleraine Town Hall aired proceedings from 8am, while the People’s Park in Ballymena and Shaftesbury Park in Carrickfergus streamed the event from 9.30am.

In Lisburn City Centre Ursula McCloy and her dog Wiggles joined a large crowd of people to watch proceedings on a massive screen at the outdoor cafe area at the Linen Centre on Market Street North.

“To be honest with you, it was quite awe inspiring, you know, and it is the end of an era,” she told the News Letter after the funeral.

Elaborating on what made it so impressive for her, she explained: “The pomp, the ceremony, and seeing it together [with others] - it was nice.”

Asked why she opted to watch it as part of her community and not at home, she replied: “Basically for a shared experience and to support Lisburn, as they put on the event.”

Yesterday saw Lisburn as it has probably never been seen before on a September Monday morning; The shop shutters were all pulled down and the streets were virtually deserted of pedestrians and vehicles, leaving the city centre strangely lifeless.

The spell was only finally broken when driving past the most westerly end of the pedestrian Bow Street, when the commentary on the Queen’s funeral could be heard booming down the street from the massive outdoor screen and Public Address system at the opposite end.

While most of the city clearly chose to watch the event at home, around 100 people chose to gather together and experience the funeral of the UK’s longest reigning monarch in a communal fashion.

And just as the Queen was famed for bringing dignity to people from all walks of life, so too the crowd that came out to bid her farewell came from all corners of society.

From proud but fragile veterans in their uniforms, to council and public service workers, several mothers with prams and entire families sitting together around tables.

All classes and races appeared to be represented in the reverent crowd, which enjoyed hot tea and coffee with shortbread, laid on enthusiastically by kindly council staff.

There was a minimal security presence with a handful of police looking on.

A cyclist in the pedestrian area stopped and stood astride his bicycle to take in the gravity of the scene. 

An elderly man from an ethnic minority background approached the seating area and before doing so, took off his cap and appeared to bow momentarily before walking forward to take a place in the front row.

A woman calmed her pet dog on her knee. A family smiled as a cheeky pigeon jumped onto their table looking for scraps. 

As the bugle sounded near the end of the church service, two uniformed veterans stood gingerly to their feet for the full period of silent reflection.

Three police officers to the rear stood uniformly in a line with their heads bowed and their arms by their sides.

When the national anthem began everyone else then joined the veterans in standing to their feet. A man walking past on the other side of the street stopped to bow his head and clasp his hands together in respect.

As the anthem ended, the two veterans remained resolutely standing while almost everyone else sat down, all eyes watching the Queen’s coffin move slowly through the cathedral on the huge screen in front of them.