The husband of the late Olympian Ciara Mageean has described her as “the epitome of the Irish warrior spirit” who had become “in a way Ireland’s daughter”.
The 34-year-old athlete died from stage four bowel cancer earlier this month.
In a post on Instagram, Thomas Moran said he had tried to think of how best to describe his feelings and how to capture their lives together in just a few short words.
“So rather than a message filled with sorrow or sadness, I want this to be one of pride. I’m proud of every second I got to spend alongside Ciara in this world.”
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The couple married in a ceremony last month at Belfast City Hall and held a reception at Darver Castle, Co Louth. They met 12 years ago. In his tribute, Moran recalled the tear in her eye as she walked down the aisle “on her dream wedding day”.
“Her joy became my joy, her fears my fears, and her dreams my dreams. My purpose in life shifted to helping make those dreams come true, in any way that I could,” he posted.
“We built our own little world, a home with two cats and a dog, and filled every space with a love that’s only ours. We travelled and raced and won and lost, lived a life with all its flaws, but we did it together.”
He said he was proud to have held her hand through the worst of her cancer treatment and to have been by her side in her final moments.
“The miles we would have run, the homes we would have made, the children we would have had, and the long future we had planned together,” he reflected.
[ Ciara Mageean obituary: one of Ireland’s greatest athletesOpens in new window ]
[ Ciara Mageean carried herself with graceOpens in new window ]
“But she will forever be in my heart, that flame of hope and inspiration, reminding us to fight on, no matter how fierce the battle, just as she did.”
Describing Ciara as “kind, caring, generous, infectious and beautiful beyond words”, he spoke of her immense strength and resilience.
“She was the epitome of the Irish warrior spirit. Before the Rio Olympics, I gifted her a small necklace with the word ‘Invictus’ inscribed on it, taken from the famous poem by William Ernest Henley,” he wrote.
“I wanted it to serve as a symbol of strength and resilience but, in an almost prophetic way, she went on to embody those qualities in ways I could never have imagined.”
