FUNERAL DETAILS HAVE been confirmed for Irish Olympian Ciara Mageean, who died on Sunday aged 34 following a diagnosis of bowel cancer last year.

The athlete died peacefully at Marie Curie Hospice on Sunday, according to a funeral notice published on Monday morning.

Her funeral will take place at St Patrick’s Church, Ballyphilip, Co Down, at 2pm on Tuesday, followed by burial in the adjoining cemetery.

Mageean will repose at her parents’ home on Ballyphilip Road in Portaferry today, with callers welcome between 10am and 1pm and from 3pm to 9pm.

The house will be private on the day of the funeral.

Her family has requested family flowers only, with donations, if desired, to Bowel Cancer Ireland and Marie Curie.

Mageean’s death was announced on her Instagram account on Sunday morning following a diagnosis of bowel cancer last year. She married her long-term partner Thomas Moran last month.

Former Irish athletics team manager Patsy McGonagle, who worked with Mageean at the Rio Olympics, remembered an athlete who was hugely popular among her teammates.

“She was a dream, really,” McGonagle told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.

“She was so grounded, so straightforward, so easy to deal with.”

McGonagle also spoke about the determination that helped Mageean return from injuries throughout her career.

“She bounced back from that, and you know she just worked at it, worked at it, worked at it, and it all came good for her in the end.”

He recalled searching for a Sunday evening Mass with Mageean while at a training camp in Brazil, eventually finding a church after trying several places.

“She was determined to get to Mass,” he said.

Asked how he would remember her, McGonagle said: “She was a lovely girl.”

President Catherine Connolly was among those paying tribute, praising Mageean’s achievements on the track and the strength and determination she showed throughout her career.

The President said Mageean had been a “source of inspiration to so many people in their own struggles” since sharing news of her illness.

“She was much loved and will be greatly missed,” Connolly said.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s Brendan O’Connor Show on Sunday, former athlete David Gillick remembered a “special person on and off the track”.

Gillick, who regularly interviewed Mageean after races, praised her honesty and the time she gave to younger athletes.

“I think we have to remember Ciara in the most positive of lights because she was just a beautiful person on the track, off the track. She resonated with so many Irish people,” Gillick said.

He also recalled attending Katie Taylor’s fight at Croke Park with Mageean and Moran in September, when the couple were looking forward to their wedding.

“Ciara was great to be around. She was just enthusiastic. She was funny. And even on that night, with everything that she was going through, she never dwelt on it,” Gillick said.

Mageean won European 1500m gold in Rome in 2024 and represented Ireland at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics.

Athletics Ireland remembered her as “a much-loved and inspirational figure who touched the lives of so many”.

Among the international athletes paying tribute was Australia’s Jessica Hull, who described Mageean as “the most beautiful person in every way imaginable”.

“Lucky to have shared some miles with you but even more special to have celebrated milestones at the finish line together,” Hull wrote.

Several other current and former Irish athletes also paid tribute on social media.

“Truly the most amazing person,” wrote Phil Healy. “You will forever be an inspiration to so many people. We are going to miss you so much.

Former Irish race walker and RTÉ pundit Rob Heffernan wrote: “This is devastating. Thoughts and prayers with Ciara’s beautiful family on this sad day. What a gift she was to the world.”

1983 world champion Eamonn Coughlan echoed: “Terribly sad news. We’ve lost a beautiful person, amazing athlete and a true warrior.”

Written by Andrew Walsh and posted on TheJournal.ie