Ciara Mageean honoured at funeral in Portaferry

Hundreds of mourners paid their respects to Ciara Mageean at her funeral in Portaferry, County Down, on Tuesday, BBC News NI reported. The European champion and two-time Olympic runner died on Sunday after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. Tributes at the service recognised both her sporting achievements and the person known to her family and hometown.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V8f1uTdyz8

Family and friends accompanied the funeral cortege from Mageean's family home along Ballyphilip Road to St Patrick's Church for the requiem Mass. Portaferry GAC and her former school, Assumption Grammar in Ballynahinch, formed a guard of honour. People had begun gathering around midday to join those attending the service and pay their respects to the athlete.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill was among those at the funeral, alongside fellow Olympian Rhys McClenaghan and 1972 Olympic gold medallist Lady Mary Peters. Former boxer Paddy Barnes also attended. The gathering brought figures from several sports together with members of Mageean's local community, relatives and friends as they remembered her life and career.

Representatives of Irish President Catherine Connolly and the Irish Government were also present, according to the BBC's report. Other attendees included Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Claire Hanna and GAA President Jarlath Burns. In his homily, Fr Martin Kelly, who had known Mageean since childhood, recalled her accomplishments and the pride and joy she had brought to Portaferry.

Mageean represented Ireland at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games before winning the European 1500m title in Rome in 2024. An image of her crossing the finish line at those championships appeared in the Mass booklet. She also competed for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games, taking a silver medal in Birmingham in 2022.

The funeral came less than three weeks after Mageean married her long-term partner, Thomas Moran. Fr Kelly spoke about her love for her husband as well as her achievements on the track. A tribute read during the service remembered her talent and the inspiration she had given others, adding a personal remembrance to the account of her medal-winning career.