Maria still making time for sport
CAPTAIN FANTASTICMayo captain Maria Staunton celebrates with her team mates after the 2000 All-Ireland LGFA Senior Football Final at Croke Park. Image: Sportsfile
interview
Michael Gallagher
These days, she wanders the countryside, helps coach the Breaffy Under-10 boys, or plays basketball with her friends at Castlebar Mustangs.
In the sporting world, Maria Staunton is best known for winning the National League and All-Ireland Senior Championship double as captain of the Mayo Women in 2000, but that is just one chapter in the former Carnacon star’s sporting life .
“I grew up with basketball. I guess I started when I was nine or ten and I still play a bit, but it’s definitely fun these days,” she told The Mayo News.
“I was always quite competitive and we had a really good team at Castlebar Rockets during those years and also at school. I also played on the North West Regional Team and always loved the game.
“Of course football was a big thing back home in Carnacon growing up. I was fortunate to be included in the Mayo U14 team and we won the All-Ireland A title. I’m not sure we’ve won it since then.
“We played many All Ireland semi-finals and finals over the years that followed, but our next domestic win came in 1999 when we won the senior championship for the first time. That was a special day.
“I was 19 then and we were on top of the world. The following year I captained the team and we won the double. Looking back now, I think those victories helped change the sporting mindset in this part of the world.
“I remember when I was at St Joseph’s Secondary School in Castlebar we asked if we could have a football team but it didn’t happen.
“Then when we won the double in 2000, Father Mike Murphy [school chaplain at the time] got me there with the trophy and it wasn’t long before the school had a team. This has been helping the local clubs since then and shows the influence that success and seeing success have on society.”
Of course, Maria was part of a hugely successful Carnacon team and likely has eight district and provincial medals to her name (she’s not sure exactly how many, but she’s absolutely certain she was part of the famous team that won the first The club’s All Ireland won in 2002).
“I was only 22 at the time, but I had quit mayo by that point and was doing other things in life and in sports.
“In 2004 I ran the New York Marathon and had to miss the All Ireland semifinals for Carnacon with an injury. I was player of the game in the Connacht finals so it was annoying to miss that game,” he explained.
Coaching for the Mayo under-14 girls followed, but Maria was kept busy on the business front where she landed a role at iHub in Castlebar in 2006.
This role is all about supporting start-up companies and after 17 years on the job she is as enthusiastic as ever.
“I love it. It’s always different and right now I’m very passionate about a new program for women called EMPOWERher.ie. I would encourage any woman who has ever thought of starting their own business to do so click.”
Maria is also Chair of the official Mayo GAA fundraising group, Cairde Mhaigh Eo, which supports Mayo GAA with financial innovation.
She enjoys volunteer work, which combines her sporting and business interests.
However, she loves getting back to the cut and punch of live sports. She plays basketball with her friends weekly in Castlebar for fun.
“Sometimes the competitive streak comes out, but I try to keep it under wraps.” She goes hiking with friends. “Two of the buddies I hike with are buddies from my Mayo days.” She helps coach the Castlebar Comets U-10 boys team and fills the same role with the Breaffy U-10 boys GAA team.
“I was going to be there looking after our son Rory anyway, so when I got the chance to help coach, I jumped at it.
“Like everyone else, my free time is very limited, but I love sports and coaching kids, and helping them succeed is fun.”