British Prime Minister Theresa May, UK opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Irish Taoiseach (or prime minister) Leo Varadkar attended the service at St. Anne's Cathedral in Belfast. St. Anne's is a Protestant church that welcomes Catholic clergy, chosen by McKee's Catholic family in a show of unity for a country shaken by religious violence.
McKee, 29, was shot by the New IRA while reporting on rioting in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry on Thursday.
The city -- which is referred to by Irish nationalists as Derry and British unionists as Londonderry -- is a short drive from the border with the Republic of Ireland.
The New IRA admitted responsibility in a statement to The Irish News, but offered its "full and sincere apologies to the partner, family and friends of Lyra McKee for her death."
McKee, a prominent freelance journalist who wrote for publications including The Atlantic and Buzzfeed News, was also campaigned for greater LGBT rights.
"Lyra was a person who broke down barriers and reached across boundaries," said Dean Stephen Forde in his opening comments to mourners Wednesday.
"This was her hallmark in life, this is her legacy in death."
He added that McKee "was a child of the Good Friday agreement," referring to the peace process in 1998.
Forde said McKee "grew up to champion its hope for a society that was free from the prejudices of the past."
Despite their differing political views, Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster sat alongside and chatted to Sinn Féin's President Mary Lou McDonald during the service.
McKee's partner, Sara Canning, said the service would be a "celebration of her life," in a Facebook post. She added that she knew the Harry Potter fan "would love it" if people "would like to wear Hufflepuff, Harry Potter or Marvel related T-shirts" to the ceremony.
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