The Requiem Mass for Ireland’s Olympic runner Ciara Mageean took place today at St. Patrick’s Church, Ballyphilip, in her hometown of Portaferry, Northern Ireland. Mageean, the reigning European 1500m champion who won gold in Rome in 2024, died on Sunday, November 1, at age 34 following a stage-four bowel cancer diagnosis in 2025.
Fr. Martin Kelly told mourners of visiting Mageean at the Marie Curie Hospice three weeks before her passing. Fr. Kelly, who had known Mageean since arriving in the parish in 2000 when she was an eight-year-old altar server, paid tribute to her character and the immense joy her athletic achievements brought to the nation.
Recalling his hospice visit and administering the Sacrament of the Sick, Fr. Kelly shared:
“I asked her what special graces she needed at that time. We talked about acceptance and how hard it was for her. We spoke of trust—trusting how well she was loved by Tommy, the love of her life, all her family and friends, and people and colleagues all over Ireland and Europe. I said that the reality of all this love was the expression of how God was loving her and cherishing her, especially at this time of her life.”
Her funeral cortège
