LAST UPDATE | 38 mins ago

MOURNERS HAVE ARRIVED at St Patrick’s Church, Ballyphilip, Co Down, for the funeral of athlete Ciara Mageean.

The funeral procession departed from the family home and made its way to the nearby church, just a short distance away.

Hundreds of people are due to attend the mass, including well-known faces from the world of sport and politics.

GAA president Jarlath Burns is in attendance.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill and SDLP leader Claire Hanna are also present.

President Catherine Connolly and the Taoiseach will be represented by their aides-de-camp.

There is also a large turnout from Portaferry Gaelic Athletic Association. 

Mageean was an active member of the club where she played camogie at various youth levels.

Conducting the mass, Father Martin Kelly, a longtime friend of the Mageean family, welcomed mourners to the church. 

“Ciara wanted to have her funeral Mass here in Portaferry. Tommy, her husband, was very happy to go along with her wishes. I want to say thank you to Tommy for that”, Kelly said. 

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

Mageean’s death was announced on her Instagram account on Sunday morning following a diagnosis of bowel cancer last year.

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

Connolly was among those who paid tribute to Mageean, commending her outstanding achievements in athletics and the courage, resilience and determination she demonstrated throughout her career.

Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong said Portaferry will be “still” during Mageean’s funeral.

“Portaferry is one of those places where you’re related to everybody, and everybody knows who you are and everybody celebrates when somebody like Ciara Mageean has such victories,” she said.