Hundreds Pay Respects at Portaferry Funeral of Irish Olympian Ciara Mageean
The funeral of Irish Olympic runner Ciara Mageean took place on Tuesday in Portaferry, County Down, Northern Ireland. In a tribute read out at the funeral, she was described as a “truly remarkable, immensely talented and inspirational human being”.
Hundreds of people gathered in Portaferry to pay their last respects to the runner.
Mageean, a former European champion and two-time Olympian, died on Sunday after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. She was 34.
Among those in attendance were Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill, fellow Olympian Rhys McClenaghan and 1972 gold medallist Lady Mary Peters.
Mageean's funeral cortege was given a guard of honour by Portaferry GAC and by her former school, Assumption Grammar in Ballynahinch.
Her death came less than three weeks after her marriage to her long-term partner Thomas Moran.
Mourners began arriving around midday for the 2:00pm GMT requiem Mass at St Patrick's Church. Family, friends and those wishing to pay their respects followed the funeral cortege the short distance along the Ballyphilip Road from Mageean's family home to the church.
Also in attendance were representatives of Irish President Catherine Connolly and the Irish Government, Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Claire Hanna, GAA President Jarlath Burns and former boxer Paddy Barnes.
The Mass booklet included an image of Mageean's greatest achievement on the track — the moment she crossed the line at the 2024 European Championships.
Fr Martin Kelly, who had known Mageean from childhood, gave the homily. He spoke of her accomplishments, her love for her husband, and the joy and pride she had brought to her hometown.
Mageean represented Ireland at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics and won gold in the 1500m at the European Athletics Championships in Rome in 2024. She also represented Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games, winning silver in Birmingham in 2022.
