‘The brightest light never truly fades’: Ciara Mageean remembered at funeral
Gold European medal among the items presented at the beginning of the service as Portaferry mourns ‘inspirational’ Olympian who died aged 34
Ciara Mageean, the Irish Olympian and European champion runner who passed away at the age of 34, will be laid to rest in her hometown of Portaferry. Mageean's death, which occurred on Sunday surrounded by her loved ones, has sparked an overwhelming wave of sorrow across the nation. Born in Portaferry, County Down, Mageean competed in both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
In a remarkable achievement, she won the European 1500m gold in Rome in 2024, becoming the second athlete from Ireland to claim an individual European title. In 2025, Mageean bravely disclosed a stage four bowel cancer diagnosis, which carried a likely terminal prognosis. Just weeks before her death, she married her longtime partner, Thomas Moran, in a ceremony held in County Louth.
Her funeral service will be held at St Patrick's Church in Portaferry at 2pm this afternoon. Mageean's accomplishments on the track are widely praised, as well as the sadness of her premature passing, by people from all walks of life. Notable tributes have been extended to Mageean from President Catherine Connolly, Republic of Ireland football captain Katie McCabe, and fellow Olympians Keely Hodgkinson and Dina Asher-Smith.
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