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Ciara Mageean elebrates winning gold medal in the women's 1,500 meters final at the European Athletics Championships in Rome Alamy
Grace of courage
‘The challenge of letting go’: Ciara Mageean’s funeral Mass told of how Olympian faced her death
Father Martin Kelly said he visited Ciara three weeks before her death, and the two of them talked of ‘letting go’.
CIARA MAGEEAN’S FUNERAL Mass today heard that she wanted to be buried in her native Portaferry in Co Down, something her husband Tommy was “very happy to go along with”.
Portaferry is a small village close to Strangford Lough, and with its beautiful scenery, it’s easy to see why someone would wish for it to be their final resting place.
Ciara’s native Portaferry GAC was out in force today, with many blue and yellow jerseys making up part of her funeral cortège.
Ciara played camogie for Portaferry and Father Martin Kelly noted how she used her camogie skills to win European gold in the 1,500 metres in Rome in 2024.
“She said to herself, ‘you are not going to box in a Portaferry camogie player that easily’,” recalled Fr Kelly of her heroics in Rome.
“So she waited until an opening came, and she cut through like a knife through butter, getting gold and becoming European champion,” he added.
Ciara’s funeral Mass and burial was held at St Patrick’s Church, where Fr Kelly was parish priest from 2000 to 2009.
Fr Kelly had known Ciara since she was an eight-year-old altar server.
He said the same commitment Ciara brought to her athletics career was seen in her altar service, as she turned up “hail, rain, or snow”.
Fr Kelly meanwhile said it was somewhat appropriate for Ciara, who had bowel cancer, to die on Sunday, given it was All Saints’ Day, a day the Catholic Church dedicates to its saints.
During the homily, Fr Kelly revealed that he visited Ciara at her hospice bed just three weeks before her death.
He said he offered Ciara the Sacrament of the Sick, which used to be called the Last Rites because it is usually given to a dying person.
Ciara accepted this offer and Fr Kelly said that he asked her: “What special graces do you need just at this moment?”
He said they talked about acceptance, and of “letting go” and of how “challenging” that was.
Fr Kelly remarked that they also spoke about “trust”.
“Trusting how well she was loved by Tommy, the love of her life, and all her family, friends, and people all over Ireland and Europe, and further afield.
“She had friends everywhere. I said that the reality of all this love was the expression of her God loving her and cherishing her, especially at this time of her life.”
Ciara married her long-term partner Thomas ‘Tommy’ Moran just last month. The Gospel reading from Ciara’s funeral Mass was that of the wedding feast at Cana, in which Jesus is said to perform his first public miracle.
The host of the wedding in the Gospel story runs out of wine, and Jesus turns six jars of water into wine which is said to taste much better than that which came before it.
Fr Kelly said this reading was apt given Ciara’s recent wedding – they had a ceremony at Belfast City Hall before hosting a larger celebration at Darver Castle in Co Louth.
The priest noted that Ciara wanted everyone around her to have a memorable occasion, much like in the Gospel reading.
“She looked radiant on both occasions,” said Fr Kelly, “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 a hospice bed, and that was it.”
Meanwhile, Fr Kelly said Ciara herself then talked at her hospice bed about “the grace of courage, to face the final big challenge of letting go and dying”.
The two then spoke about heaven and the hope that Ciara would be “loved all the way” there.
After this, Fr Kelly said that the champion runner suggested a walk.
Fr Kelly said he thought this might be a “dander” but reflected that a walk is “much more than a dander for Ciara”.
The walk went on a bit longer than Fr Kelly, aged 85, had bargained for, though he said he tried to hide this.
Ciara, however, was alert to this, and Fr Kelly said it made for “one of the happiest moments of my life”.
“On the way down, she knew I was struggling,” said Fr Kelly.
“And she said, ‘let me link you’. Now, there’s still a bit of the macho man in me, so I hesitated… linking arms wasn’t me.
“Then I gave in, and one of my happiest moments and memories is that of Ciara, linking my arm, as she walked back to her room, just a few weeks before she went to heaven.
“Thank you, Ciara, from the bottom of my heart.”
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