'She represented the very best of us': Hundreds attend funeral of Ciara Mageean in Co Down

LAST UPDATE | 3 Nov

HUNDREDS OF MOURNERS gathered at St Patrick’s Church, Portaferry, Co Down this afternoon for the funeral of athlete Ciara Mageean.

The funeral procession departed from the family home and made its way to the nearby church, just a short distance away.

Hundreds of people attended the funeral Mass, including well-known faces from the world of sport and politics.

GAA president Jarlath Burns was in attendance, as was Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill and SDLP leader Claire Hanna.

President Catherine Connolly and the Taoiseach were represented by their aides-de-camp.

There was also a large turnout from Portaferry GAC. 

Ciara was an active member of the club where she played camogie at various youth levels.

Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Rhys McClenaghan and boxer Michaela Walsh also joined the congregation, as was 1972 Olympic gold medallist Mary Peters.

A a copy of the order of service outside St Patrick’s Church. Alamy

Conducting the mass, Fr Martin Kelly, a longtime friend of the Mageean family, welcomed mourners to the church. 

“Ciara wanted to have her funeral Mass here in Portaferry. Tommy, her husband, was very happy to go along with her wishes. I want to say thank you to Tommy for that”, Kelly said.

Three weeks before her death, Fr Kelly explained how he went to visit the athlete in the hospice.

“She perked up, and she said, let’s go for a walk. I couldn’t believe it. I said sure, thinking that it would be easy, because of her condition. I’d be able, even at the age of 85, to match her stride for stride, but for Ciara, a walk was much more than a dander.

“And when we got to the top, she said let’s do another round. I nearly collapsed.”

“On the way down, she knew I was struggling, and she said, let me link you. Then I gave in, and one of my happiest moments and memories is that of Ciara, linking my arm as she walked back to her room,” he said.

During this visit, Fr Kelly celebrated the Sacrament of the Sick with Ciara.

The priest then spoke of the tributes paid to the Olympian on social media. 

He highlighted one tribute which described Mageean as “a truly remarkable, immensely talented and inspirational human being”, whose “courage, humility, infectious smile and indomitable spirit” touched hearts far beyond the world of athletics.

“She represented the very best of us, not simply through her extraordinary sporting achievements but through the warmth, dignity and humanity she brought to everything she did”, it added. 

The Portaferry native won European 1,500m gold in Rome in 2024 and represented Ireland at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.

Ciara death was announced on her Instagram account on Sunday morning following a diagnosis of bowel cancer last year.

She married her long-time partner, Thomas Moran, in a ceremony at Belfast City Hall last month before hosting a larger celebration at Darver Castle in Co Louth.

The coffin of Ciara Mageean is carried into St Patrick’s Church in Portaferry ahead of her funeral service. Alamy

President Connolly was among those who paid tribute to the athlete, commending her outstanding achievements in athletics and the courage, resilience and determination she demonstrated throughout her career.

Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong said Portaferry will be “still” during the funeral.

“Portaferry is one of those places where you’re related to everybody, and everybody knows who you are and everybody celebrates when somebody like Ciara Mageean has such victories,” she said.

With reporting from Diarmuid Pepper