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The funeral of two-time Olympian Ciara Mageean took place at St Patrick’s Church in Ballyphilip on Tuesday with burial in the adjoining cemetery as hundreds paid their respects in her native Portaferry, County Down. Fr Martin Kelly, who knew the athlete since she was a child, spoke in his homily of the joy and pride she brought to her hometown through her achievements on the track, according to UTV reporting. A guard of honour formed by members of Portaferry Gaelic Athletic Club and Assumption Grammar School accompanied the cortege from the family home along the Ballyphilip Road.
Mageean died peacefully on Sunday at the Marie Curie Hospice surrounded by her loved ones, less than three weeks after marrying her long-term partner Thomas Moran in a ceremony in Co Louth. She had been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in May 2025 and continued to display courage and determination while raising awareness for the cause, the Irish Mirror reported. Her family noted in a statement that she passed on the Feast of All Saints, requesting donations in lieu of flowers to Bowel Cancer Ireland and Marie Curie.
Mageean secured gold in the 1500 metres at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, becoming the first individual Irish European champion since Sonia O’Sullivan according to World Athletics data. She earned silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and collected a series of European Championship medals including bronze in 2016 and silver in 2022 while representing Ireland at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. The Portaferry runner held national records with a personal best of 3:55.87 in the 1500m set in Brussels in 2023, along with marks in the 800m, 1000m and mile.
Hometown residents and her former school recalled how Mageean never forgot her roots despite her international success. Marcelle Orsi, vice-principal of Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch, told the BBC that the loss will be felt by so many for many years to come and that the school lived and breathed with pride in her accomplishments. One Portaferry resident described her to BBC News NI as an absolute star who treated everybody the same regardless of who they were.
Fr Kelly read out a tribute during the service that stated Irish Olympian Ciara Mageean was a ‘talented and inspirational human being’ whose courage, humility, infectious smile and indomitable spirit touched hearts far beyond athletics, the Irish Mirror stated. He recounted how her podium moments left people in her community with tears in their eyes and hearts bursting with joy and pride as she stood wrapped in the Irish flag listening to the national anthem. The priest highlighted that she fought until the end, retiring to her hospice bed after celebrations only weeks earlier.
Among the mourners were Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill, SDLP leader Claire Hanna, GAA president Jarlath Burns and Olympic gymnast Rhys McClenaghan, as covered by The Irish News. President Catherine Connolly and the Taoiseach were represented by their aides-de-camp while former athletes and local GAA members also attended in significant numbers. Athletics Ireland described her as a much-loved and inspirational figure who touched the lives of so many through her career and her public battle with illness.
