The late Ciara Mageean 'exemplified all that is good about sport'
Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, with special responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy, has paid tribute following the passing of one of Ireland’s most-loved sportspeople
The sporting world is in mourning following the passing of Irish Olympian and European champion runner Ciara Mageean, who died at the age of 34.
Her family announced that the legendary middle-distance athlete passed away peacefully on Sunday morning, November 1, following a courageous battle with stage four bowel cancer.
She married her long-term partner, Thomas Moran, in a ceremony in Belfast just last month.
Hailing from Portaferry, Co Down, Mageean leaves behind an extraordinary legacy as one of the most decorated and beloved athletes in modern Irish sporting history.
Her crowning achievement came in June 2024 at the European Athletics Championships in Rome, where she delivered a masterclass performance to win the gold medal in the 1500 metres.
A two-time Olympian who represented Ireland at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games, Mageean retired from the track holding multiple Irish national records across the 800m, 1000m, 1500m, and the mile.
Following a terminal diagnosis in May 2025, Mageean redirected her immense fighting spirit toward raising public awareness about bowel cancer symptoms in younger people, documented through her recent memoir My Greatest Race.
“I am deeply saddened by the untimely death of Ciara Mageean, a woman whose searing honesty both trackside after races and over the past couple of years in dealing with her illness secured her a place in the hearts of people all over the island,” Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, with special responsibility for Sport and Postal Policy, said.
“Ciara exemplified all that is good about sport and community in Ireland. Even as she won races around the globe, she remained incredibly connected to her own people in Portaferry. My thoughts go out to her husband Thomas, her family, her friends and to all who came to know her through sport and beyond.
“Her joy in winning 1500 metres gold at the 2024 European Championships was shared by all who follow sport and her bravery in dealing with the cruel illness that followed was admired by everyone. She has been a role model for the next generation of Irish athletics and, as long as races are run on this island, her memory will not be forgotten. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”