Ciara Mageean's husband, Tommy Moran, made a "really selfless" decision to announce her death shortly after she passed, allowing the nation to mourn her, according to a tribute on Friday night's Late Late Show in Ireland.
The Portaferry native died on Sunday, November 1, at the age of 34 following her battle with bowel cancer. Fellow athletes Ellen Keane and Thomas Barr, along with RTE sports broadcaster Greg Allen, shared their recollections of Mageean with host Patrick Kielty.
Tribute to a 'people's person'
Keane revealed how Moran chose to announce the news of her death to enable the country to grieve for her. "It was only a couple of hours after she passed, that he was, like, 'Ciara is the people's person, and I need to share that with the world about Ciara's passing'," Keane said.
"And that was a really selfless thing for him to do, and Ciara's the most selfless person that I have ever met, so is Tommy." She added: "And for him to be able to allow the country to mourn her, and to allow us to be here today to talk about her, that takes great strength."
Wedding and funeral details
Mageean, who came from Portaferry, Co Down, competed for Ireland at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. In 2024, she secured European gold in Rome, becoming just the second athlete after Sonia O'Sullivan to claim an individual European title for Ireland. In 2025, she disclosed she had been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, bearing a likely terminal prognosis.
She wed her long-term partner last month, with a ceremony conducted at Belfast City Hall followed by a larger celebration at Darver Castle in Co Louth. Those who attended her funeral during the week heard of her determination to give her wedding guests a memorable day.
Final farewell in Portaferry
On Tuesday, hundreds of mourners accompanied the funeral procession as the runner's coffin was brought into the grounds of St Patrick's Church in her hometown. Rows of young players from Portaferry Gaelic Athletic Club, where Mageean played camogie as a youngster, formed a guard of honour as her remains were transported into the church ahead of the requiem mass.
Fr Martin Kelly, who served as parish priest at St Patrick's from 2000 to 2009 and had known Mageean since she was eight, delivered the homily. He reflected on her recent wedding and her determination to provide her guests with a "lavish, memorable occasion". Speaking to Mr Moran, he said "you were the love of her life".
Describing the couple's festivities, the priest said: "There were two events for her wedding and she looked radiant at both of them, at the centre of each event, and I saw her dancing and singing, so full of joy and so happy to be able to celebrate her big day with Tommy. She was determined to give everybody a day to remember. After the second celebration she retired to her hospice bed and that was it, she sank lower and lower, but she held out until last Sunday just passed, the Feast of All Saints. What an appropriate day. She was surrounded by her family as she passed on peacefully."
