Mayo legend Cora Staunton to be inducted into LGFA Hall of Fame

Mayo's Cora Staunton celebrates with Fiona McHale

Mayo and Carnacon legend Cora Staunton is set to be inducted into the Ladies Gaelic Football Association Hall of Fame for 2026.

Staunton made her senior debut for Mayo in 1995 at the age of 13, the start of a county career that spanned more than two decades. Her honours include four TG4 All-Ireland Senior titles with Mayo, 11 TG4 All-Star awards and six All-Ireland Senior Club Championships with Carnacon. She scored more than 60 goals and 300 points over the course of her career.

Speaking about the news, which was delivered by LGFA President Trina Murray, Staunton said: “I was quite shocked. When she told me what it was for, very shocked but at the same time delighted to get the award. When you retire from playing sport, you think your days of getting awards are over.”

Staunton first played Ladies Football at the age of seven at her local school in Carnacon, before progressing through boys’ teams in nearby Ballinrobe. She won her first All-Ireland Senior title with Mayo in 1999, aged 17.

She captained Carnacon to the club’s first All-Ireland Senior Club title in 2002, and again to its most recent in 2017. “It’s very hard to pick a moment – people always ask me that,” she said. “Winning with my club was the most special of them all.”

Staunton credited Mayo managers Finbar Egan and Jonathan Mullin, along with the late Jimmy Corbett and Beatrice Casey (current LGFA Club Chairperson) of Carnacon, as key influences on her career.

Since retiring, Staunton has worked with Mayo Sports Partnership for almost two years, delivering programmes for people with disabilities, migrants, members of the Traveller community and women in recovery. She also coaches and works as a broadcaster with RTÉ.

“I love working with people who are marginalised and don’t get huge opportunities,” she said.

LGFA President Trina Murray said: “Cora Staunton is one of the greatest players our game has ever seen, and it was a real privilege to tell her the news myself. From her debut for Mayo at 13 to captaining Carnacon to All-Ireland glory 15 years apart, Cora set a standard that inspired a generation of girls to pick up a ball. Her record speaks for itself, but her influence goes well beyond medals and scores. The work she does now says everything about her character. She belongs in the Hall of Fame, and we look forward to honouring her in November.”

Staunton will be formally inducted into the LGFA Hall of Fame at the TG4 All-Star banquet, in association with Lidl, at the Bonnington Dublin Hotel on Saturday, November 14th.