Hundreds of people attended the funeral of Ciara Mageean at St Patrick's Church in Ballyphilip on Tuesday. The 34-year-old middle-distance runner and European 1500m champion died on Sunday morning, surrounded by loved ones, following a diagnosis of stage four bowel cancer in May 2025.

Her local GAA club, Portaferry GAC, formed a guard of honour at the church, with members wearing the club's blue and gold colours.

Fr Martin Kelly led the funeral mass. He described Mageean's husband Thomas Moran as the love of her life and recalled her wedding celebrations, saying she was radiant and full of joy. The couple married at Belfast City Hall and held a second celebration at Darver Castle in County Louth a week before her death.

Mageean represented Ireland at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics but withdrew from the 2024 Paris Games due to an Achilles injury. She won gold in the 1500m at the 2024 European Championships in Rome and also won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, representing Northern Ireland.

Fr Kelly shared memories of Mageean's athletics career, including her return to Portaferry after winning a world silver medal at the World Under-18 meeting in Canada, when she stepped off the ferry wrapped in a tricolour to a welcoming crowd.

He also described her final days, including a visit to Marie Curie Hospice three weeks before her death, where they discussed letting go and the final big challenge of death before he administered the sacrament of the sick.

Tributes were paid by several public figures. Lady Mary Peters, the 1972 Olympic pentathlon gold medallist, described Mageean as gracious, beautiful, talented and inspirational. Peters noted that her charity, the Mary Peters Trust, had supported Mageean during her career.

The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Craig Blaney, opened an online book of condolence and said Mageean was an extraordinary ambassador for Portaferry and the borough. Council chief executive Susie McCullough said the sporting world had lost a shining light.

Mageean's family announced her death on social media, saying she lost her battle with cancer surrounded by loved ones and described her as a beloved daughter, sister, wife, friend and inspiration to so many.