Ciara Mageean made great effort to give friends 'lavish occasion at her wedding' before her passing

Ciara passed away on Sunday morning surrounded by loved ones, aged 34, after a long battle with cancer.

The Portaferry woman competed at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She made history in 2024 by winning European 1500m gold in Rome, becoming just the second athlete after Sonia O’Sullivan to secure an individual European title for Ireland.

In 2025 she revealed she had stage four bowel cancer with a likely terminal prognosis.

She married her longtime partner, Thomas Moran, at a ceremony in Co Louth just weeks before her death.

Her funeral service took place in her hometown of Portaferry in St Patrick’s Church today.

Guests included representatives of the Taoiseach Michael Martin and Irish President Catherine Connolly, as well as GAA President Jarlath Burns.

Father Martin Kelly said he began his friendship with Ciara when she was an eight year-old altar server, and even then showed clear commitment to the task in hand.

Reading from the Gospel of John, he recounted how Jesus had rescued a wedding feast from "disaster" by miraculously creating gallons more out of water, likening this to the effort made by Ciara for guests at her wedding to Tommy several weeks ago.

They held two events and she was determined to give everybody around her "a lavish, memorable occasion".

He added: "I could see her dancing and singing, so full of joy, and so happy to be able to celebrate her big day with Tommy. She was determined to give everybody a day to remember.

"After the second celebration she retired to a hospice bed and that was it, she sank, lower and lower.

"But she held out until last Sunday just passed, The Feast of All Saints - what an appropriate day."

He recounted several standout moments of her athletic career.

The first was, when she returned home to Portaferry after winning a silver medal at the World Under 18 meeting in Canada.

"When she arrived on the ferry from Strangford, there was a wide circle of Portaferry people to welcome her. She stepped off the ferry onto the slipway, like a young sea goddess, from the lough. Wrapped in the tricolour with a smile to warm all hearts. She gave me the warmest hug, you could imagine. I've always treasured that moment. We were all so proud of her."

His second standout moment was at the European Championship final in Rome in 2024.

"On the home straight she was third behind two runners who had boxed her in. She said to herself, 'You're not going to box in a Portaferry camogie player that easily'.

She waited for an opening and "cut through like a knife through butter, hitting the line with her arms in the air.”

"She stood in the podium, wrapped in a tricolour, listening to the Irish National Anthem. And we all had tears in ours eyes, our hearts bursting with joy and pride."

He visited her three weeks ago in the Marie Curie Hospice where he reminded her of how loved she was by her husband Tommy, her family and friends all over Ireland, Europe and further afield.

"I said, that the reality of all this love was the expression of her God loving her and and cherishing her, especially at this time of her life."

Then she requested the grace of courage "to face the final big challenge of letting go and dying".

At this point he prayed with her and anointed her forehead and hands with oil.

"And then she perked up and said, 'Let's go for a walk'.

He could not believe it, but thought he would be able to match her stride for stride.

When they climbed the streets above the hospice she said, "let's do another round" but he nearly collapsed at the thought. On the way down, he was struggling and she linked arms to help him.

"And one of my happiest moments and memories is that of Ciara Mageean linking in my arm as we walk back to her room just a few weeks before she went to heaven,” he said.

"Thank you, Ciara from the bottom of my heart."