Funeral to be held for Irish athletics star Ciara Mageean

Updated / Tuesday, 3 Nov 2026 06:27

The funeral is to be held for Irish Olympian and European champion runner Ciara Mageean, who died on Sunday, aged 34.

Ms Mageean, from Portaferry in Co Down, competed at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics and held multiple Irish records, including in the 800m, 1500m and mile.

She won European 1500m gold in Rome in 2024, becoming just the second athlete after Sonia O'Sullivan to secure an individual European title for Ireland.

In 2025, she revealed she had been diagnosed with stage-four bowel cancer.

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

Her funeral service will take place in her hometown of Portaferry at St Patrick's Church at 2pm this afternoon.

Praise for Ms Mageean's sporting achievements as well as sadness at her untimely passing has come from across the country, including from President Catherine Connolly.

Fellow athletes, including Republic of Ireland football captain Katie McCabe and fellow Olympians Keely Hodgkinson and Dina Asher-Smith, also paid tribute.