Nora Stapleton is a former Ireland women's rugby union international. Stapleton represented Ireland at the

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and 2017 Women's Rugby World Cups. She was also a member of the Ireland teams that won the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

and

2015 Women's Six Nations Championship The 2015 Women's Six Nations Championship, also known as the 2015 RBS Women's Six Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 14th series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual women's rugby unio ...

s. Stapleton was a member of the first Ireland teams to defeat both and . Stapleton has also played two other football codes at a senior level. As a

women's association football Women's association football, more commonly known simply as women's football or women's soccer, is a team sport of association football when played by women only. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries and 176 national te ...

player, she played for UCD in

FAI Women's Cup The Football Association of Ireland Women's Cup is the senior cup competition for women's association football in the Republic of Ireland. It is commonly known as the Women's FAI Cup, the WFAI Cup, or prior to 2001, the Ladies FAI Cup or the LFAI ...

finals and

UEFA Women's Cup The UEFA Women's Champions League, previously called the UEFA Women's Cup (2001–2009), is a European women's association football competition. It involves the top club teams from countries affiliated with the European governing body UEFA. The ...

campaigns. She has also played senior

ladies' Gaelic football Ladies' Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach na mBan) is a women's team sport. It is the women's equivalent of Gaelic football. Ladies' football is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. Two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a ...

for .

Early years and education

Stapleton grew up in

Fahan Fahan (; ) is a district of Inishowen in the north of County Donegal, Ireland, located 5 km (3 miles) south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, Saint Mura, first abbot of Fahan, an early Christian monastery. His ...

, near

Buncrana Buncrana ( ; ) is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is beside Lough Swilly on the Inishowen peninsula, northwest of Derry and north of Letterkenny. In the 2016 census, the population was 6,785 making it the second most populous town in Cou ...

, in

Inishowen Inishowen () is a peninsula in the north of County Donegal in Ireland. Inishowen is the largest peninsula on the island of Ireland. The Inishowen peninsula includes Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The Grianan of Aileach, a ringfor ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

. She was educated at St Mura's NS in Tooban and Crana College in Buncrana. Between 2001 and 2004 Stapleton attended

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

where she gained a

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

. She studied sports management, financial management, leisure management, theory of coaching, physiology and organisational management.

Association football

Stapleton attended UCD on a soccer scholarship and played as a defender for the women's football team. Together with Sylvia Gee,

Mary Waldron Mary Veronica Waldron (born 5 May 1984) is an Irish association football player and cricketer who has represented both the Republic of Ireland women's national football team and the Ireland women's cricket team. She has also stood as an umpire ...

and Caroline Thorpe, she was a prominent member of the UCD team that won three successive

finals between 2002 and 2004. After winning the FAI Women's Cup, UCD qualified for the

and Stapleton subsequently played in their 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06 campaigns. She also helped UCD complete a four-in-a-row of

Dublin Women's Soccer League The Dublin Women's Soccer League was a women's association football league featuring teams from the Republic of Ireland. While the majority of the participating clubs were based in the Greater Dublin Area, the DWSL had regularly included teams f ...

titles between

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and

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Ladies' Gaelic football

Clubs

Stapleton played

at club level for Naomh Padraig, UCD and Na Fianna.

Inter-County

Stapleton played for at senior inter-county level. In June 2008 she was named Player of the Month after helping Donegal defeat , the reigning champions, in the first round of the Ulster Senior Ladies' Football Championship. On 26 September 2010, Stapleton helped Donegal win the 2010

All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies' Football Championship The All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies' Football Championship is a knock-out competition in the game of Ladies' Gaelic football played by women in Ireland. The series of games are organised by Ladies' Gaelic Football Association (Irish :''Cumann P ...

. In the final Donegal played a team that included Stapleton's Ireland women's rugby union international teammate,

Niamh Briggs Niamh (; from Old Irish ) is an Irish feminine given name (meaning "bright" or "radiant"), anglicised as Neve, Nieve, Neave, Neavh or Neeve. In Irish mythology, Niamh is the daughter of the god of the sea, Manannán mac Lir and one of the quee ...

. Between 2007 and 2013 Stapleton also worked for

Ballinteer St John's GAA Ballinteer St John's (Irish: ''Naomh Eoin Bhaile an tSaoir'') is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballinteer, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. Gaelic football and hurling are played. History The clubhouse is situated besid ...

Dublin GAA The Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Luthchleas Gael Coiste Contae Átha Cliath) or Dublin GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in the Dublin Regi ...

as a Gaelic games promotional officer.

Rugby union

Old Belvedere

Stapleton did not start playing

women's rugby union Women's rugby union is a full contact team sport based on running with the ball in hand. The same laws are used in men's rugby union with the same sized pitch and same equipment. Rugby was originally a men's sport, and women's rugby has become p ...

until she was 24. She was working for the

Bank of Ireland Bank of Ireland Group plc ( ga, Banc na hÉireann) is a commercial bank operation in Ireland and one of the traditional Big Four Irish banks. Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Iris ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in 2007 when she was invited to play in a

tag rugby Tag-rugby belt Tag rugby, or flag rugby, is a non-contact team game in which each player wears a belt that has two velcro tags attached to it, or shorts with velcro patches. The mode of play is based on rugby league with many similarities to to ...

social event. This subsequently led to an invitation to try out for

Old Belvedere Old Belvedere R.F.C. is a senior Irish rugby union club based on Anglesea Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland. Old Belvedere was originally founded in 1918–19 by former pupils of Belvedere College. Old Belvedere enters senior men's teams in th ...

. Stapleton was a member of Old Belvedere women's team that won three consecutive All Ireland Division One titles between 2013 and 2015. Stapleton captained the team in the 2015 final and scored nine points, a try and two conversations, as Old Belvedere defeated

UL Bohemians UL Bohemian RFC is a rugby club based in Limerick, playing in Division 2A of the All-Ireland League. It is affiliated with the University of Limerick. UL Bohemians are sponsored by UL Sport, Samurai Sports and HOMS Solicitors. The symbol of th ...

19–17 at

Donnybrook Stadium Donnybrook Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as Energia Park, is a rugby union stadium in Donnybrook, Dublin 4, Ireland. The stadium has a capacity of 6,000, including a 2,500 seat covered grandstand which was completed in early 2008. His ...

Leinster

Stapleton has played for

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

in the

IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series The IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series, previously known as the IWRFU Interprovincial Championship, is the top level women's rugby union competition in Ireland. It is organised by the Irish Rugby Football Union. It is the women's equivalent of th ...

. She was first called up to the Leinster squad in 2009.

Barbarians

On 10 November 2017 Stapleton came on as a replacement for the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...

against

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

in the invitational team's first women's match. Stapleton provided the assist for

Georgina Roberts Georgina Elizabeth Anne Roberts (born 9 July 1984 in Bradford, West Yorkshire) is a member of the England women's rugby union squad. Roberts was educated at Beckfoot School, and started playing rugby at the University of Bath after she missed a f ...

to score the crucial third try as the Barbarians won 19–0. In March 2018 Stapleton also played for the Barbarians against a British Army XV.

Ireland international

Between

and

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Stapleton made 50 appearances for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. She made her debut for Ireland against

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

on 5 February 2010. Stapleton represented Ireland at the

and 2017 Women's Rugby World Cups. At the 2014 tournament she was a member of the Ireland team that defeated

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. She was also a member of the Ireland teams that won the

and

s. During the 2013 championship Stapleton was a member of the first Ireland team to defeat

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. On 26 August 2017 Stapleton made her 50th and final appearance for Ireland against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

during

2017 Women's Rugby World Cup The 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup was the eighth edition of the Women's Rugby World Cup and was held in Ireland in August 2017. New Zealand became the 2017 champions by beating England 41–32 in the final on 26 August. Matches were held in Dubl ...

. Since 2013 Stapleton has also worked for the

IRFU The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) ( ga, Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ...

as a women and girls development manager.

Honours

Rugby union

;

Women's Six Nations Championship The Women's Six Nations Championship, known as the TikTok Women's Six Nations for sponsorship purposes, is an international rugby union competition contested between six European women's national teams. It started in the 1995–96 season as the ...

**''Winners'':

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

: 2 *

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

**''Winners'': 2013 *

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

**''Winners'':

;

**''Winners'': 2013, 2016: 2 ;

*All Ireland Division One **''Winners'': 2013, 2014, 2015 : 3 ;Individual *Women's All Ireland Player’s Player of the Year Award ** 2018

Association football

; UCD *

**''Winners'': 2002, 2003, 2004 : 3 *

**''Winners'':

, 2004,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

: 4 *

DWSL Premier Cup The Dublin Women's Soccer League was a women's association football league featuring teams from the Republic of Ireland. While the majority of the participating clubs were based in the Greater Dublin Area, the DWSL had regularly included teams f ...

**''Winners'': 2004, 2005, 2007: 3

Gaelic football

; *

**''Winner'': 2010 ;Individual *Ladies Player of the Month Award ** June 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stapleton, Nora 1983 births Living people Ireland women's international rugby union players Irish female rugby union players Rugby union players from County Donegal Leinster Rugby women's players Old Belvedere R.F.C. players Barbarian F.C. players Donegal inter-county ladies' footballers Ladies' Gaelic footballers who switched code UCD Gaelic footballers Association footballers from County Donegal Dublin Women's Soccer League players Republic of Ireland women's association footballers UCD Women's Soccer Club players Alumni of University College Dublin Women's association football midfielders