Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills have left for their honeymoon after getting married at a castle in the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday.

The ex-Beatle and his new bride made their vows at San Salvator's church, Glaslough, in a ceremony conducted by the Venerable Cecil Pringle, Archdeacon of Clogher.

Three hundred guests, including Ringo Starr and former Beatles producer George Martin, waved the couple off after a lavish party at the 17th-Century estate of Castle Leslie.

Hundreds of locals watched a five-minute firework display

A spokesman for Sir Paul described the wedding ceremony as "joyful and moving".

The couple are believed to have left after the wedding by helicopter, and headed for Belfast International Airport.

Their departure came after a spectacular firework display, also watched by some 500 local people.

The bride, who was by tradition slightly late for the 1630 BST ceremony, was almost overcome with emotion as she spoke in front of family, friends and celebrities.

"Heather captured the hearts of the congregation when she briefly faltered and wept tears of joy whilst making her vows," said McCartney's spokesman.

She carried a bouquet of 11 McCartney roses - named in honour of her new husband - and two peonies, and entered the church accompanied by the song Heather which McCartney penned for his recent album Driving Rain.

Fellow Beatle Ringo Starr flew in on a private jet

Mills, a landmine campaigner and former model, wore a wedding dress she helped create with designers Eavis & Brown.

Sir Paul's brother Mike, formerly of pop group The Scaffold, was best man - as he was for McCartney's 1969 wedding to the late Linda Eastman.

The couple's friend, Liverpool poet Adrian Mitchell, read Roses In The Summertime, a poem he wrote specially for the couple.

Hymns sung at the 30-minute service were Praise My Soul The King of Heaven and Lord Of All Hopefulness.

As the couple walked down the aisle after exchanging their vows, the organist played the Wedding March from the film The Family Way, for which Sir Paul wrote the soundtrack in the Sixties.

Jools Holland and Chrissie Hynde en route to Belfast

Guests included Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, Sir George Martin, Chrissie Hynde, Jools Holland, Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour and US actor Steve Buscemi.

Sir Paul's children Stella, Mary and James and his stepdaughter Heather, from his late wife Linda's first marriage were also in attendance.

The church bells sounded just after 1700 BST, signalling that the couple had taken their vows.

The 1,000-acre estate was transformed for the couple, who married at St Salvator's Church within the castle grounds.

The 300 guests - including some big showbiz names - ate vegetarian food at the sumptuous reception.

They arrived through a specially-constructed covered walkway leading between them and the chapel to keep out the rain and prying eyes.

A helicopter managed to take shots of the church

A dance floor was set up alongside a lake, while a pier was constructed with a luxury boat moored alongside.

Nine coaches and a helicopter brought guests to the estate, which was shielded from the media by a team of security staff.

Sir Paul met Mills in 1999, a year after the death of his wife, and the ex-Beatle proposed last year.

He revealed to well-wishers on Monday that he had chosen the village because his mother had been born in the county of Monaghan.