Irish champion Ciara Mageean dies aged 34 after cancer battle

Ciara Mageean, the Portaferry athlete who won gold in the 1500 m at the 2024 European Championships, has died aged 34 following a battle with cancer.

Her family confirmed that she passed away at 6:30 am this morning, surrounded by loved ones. They described her as a beloved daughter, sister, wife and friend, and said her death has plunged the Irish sporting community into mourning.

Mageean’s post‑race comment – “It’s a lesson in life. Not everything can be perfect. It’s about how resilient you are” – reflected the determination she showed both on the track and in her illness. After her European title, speculation grew about her Olympic prospects, but a few months later she was diagnosed with cancer.

She later appeared on RTÉ’s programme Uncharted, where former special‑operations officer Ray Goggins praised her as “an incredible champion in life”. Mageean also authored the bestseller My Greatest Race and celebrated a second wedding at Darver Castle, Dundalk, with husband Thomas Moran just weeks before her death.

Tributes have poured in from fellow athletes, including Olympian Sharlene Mawdsley, former runner Thomas Barr, and British Athletics, which called her “a true inspiration on and off the track”.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Gonzalo Álvarez Balcazar / Pexels.