DUNGARVAN’S TOM CUNNINGHAM’S LIFELONG SERVICE TO GAELIC GAMES It is appropriate that the words Tom Cunningham (Dungarvan) go hand in hand and while ‘Cunn’ is pencilled in as one of Waterford’s most successful hurlers on the field of play from that golden era of 1957 to 1963, a minor medal winner from ‘48 and a long serving Munster Council rep of 24 years for the Desie outside of the white lines, his commitment to his club from an early age matches anything else in his lifelong involvement in GAA affairs. Born in Church St. in the town in 1931, Cunningham ‘s involvement in his club is total. After a successful underage career he made his debut for the Blues at adult level on the club’s second side, the junior hurlers in 1948 as a seventeen year old and he played his final club game again in junior hurling twenty years later in October 1968 against Tallow. He finished his career without a club championship medal in adult hurling but in the big ball game he was centre back on the Dungarvan side that won the 1954 senior football title after the first game was abandoned due to spectators encroaching on the field and many attempts being made to strike the referee. Similar to many other children in the town, Tom Cunningham’s interest in Gaelic games was nurtured at the CBS from his primary school days and he is photographed with his hurley in hand along with his class and Christian brother teacher at no more than ten years of age. Tom Cunningham’s first taste of success was at minor football level in 1946 on the Sarsfield side, a combination from the CBS, that defeated DLS by 0-1 after a replay in the County final. The same year, as a fifteen year old, he was part of the school’s 18 player panel that won the County senior schools hurling final- the Bishop Hackett Cup. In 1947, ‘Cunn’ was captain of the CBS junior hurling team that defeated Mt. Sion by 8-3 to 4-2 in the County final for the Bishop Colohan cup. Sometime later, the Bishop came to the school to present his trophy to the winning captain and his team in a pupil packed schoolyard which with its unique outdoor iron stairs became a traditional spot to celebrate victories in the sports and in the educational spheres and still does. The Dungarvan youth was now being earmarked as ‘one for the future’ and even more so after 1948 when he was on the County minor hurling All Ireland winning team that defeated Kilkenny by 3-7 to 1-6, the same day that the County won the senior final against Dublin. The Sunday after the minor victory, Mt. Sion defeated Sarsfields by 2-8 to 0-3 in the Waterford final but compensation was gained that year with the winning of the Western minor football final against Cappoquin and the County decider against Mt. Sion by 5-2 to 0-3 with Cunningham on both teams. In respects, Tom Cunningham was born a few years too late to participate in a golden era for his club in football. The Old Borough won four in a row senior titles from 1945 to 1948 and it was in 1949 as an 18 year old that he made his debut on the club’s senior side. Many Gaels have expressed the opinion over the years that ‘Cunn’ was an even more accomplished footballer than a hurler (Kerry will vouch for that in 1957) but we are too young to give an opinion. Cunningham was still a minor in 1949 when Sarsfields retained their Western minor hurling crown but were again defeated by Mt. Sion in the County final, on this occasion by 6-3 to 2-1. He was one of the survivors from the ’48 side that lost their title to Tipperary in the Munster minor hurling final after beating Limerick in the first round. In ’49 he played both senior hurling and senior football for his club at eighteen years of age. Having completed four in a row senior football titles, Kilrossanty’s powerful combination in the following years of their own four in a row wins denied both Dungarvan and Tom Cunningham further Waterford senior titles. The Comeragh beat the Blues each year from 1949 to 1953 including the decider in ’49. Back in the small ball game, Dungarvan qualified for the 1951 County senior final with a win in the semi final over group side Avonmore by 6-10 to 2-3 but were themselves beaten likewise by Mt. Sion in the final by 7-8 to 0-9. This was Tom Cunningham’s one and only appearance in a senior hurling club final and Dungarvan’s final one until 2012. The team lined out as follows : Michael Hogan; Tom Curran, Liam Crotty, Tom Tobin; Michael O Kelly, Willie Barron, Gary Morrissey; Peenie O Donnell, Tom Cunningham; Ned Phelan, Jackie Goode, Austin Hallahan; Percy Butler, Mickey Wade, Paul Lannon. Subs : P. McGrath, Tomsie Dee. It was in football that the Dungarvan star made his debut at adult County senior level when he was on the team that drew with Cork in the 1950 National football league in Youghal on a score of 1-5 (W) to 0-8 in the company of fellow club players Tom McHugh, Jackie Goode, Tom Curran, Mick Hallahan and Willie Barron. ‘Cunn’s involvement in both codes at inter County level increased in 1951 at twenty years of age, playing against Kerry in the Munster football championship, beaten by 5-6 to 1-1 and making his debut in hurling on the national league side that defeated Dublin by 4-4 to 0-6. Working in Waterford County Council offices, the Dungarvan man’s sporting future was defined in both hurling and football as he lined out with Waterford in both Munster championships in 1952 and ultimately until the beginning of the next decade. With fellow club men, Tom McHugh and Mick Hallahan, he was on the team that pushed Kerry all the way in football before losing out by 0-14 to 1-7 in Tralee. Waterford fell victims to Tipperary in the hurling championship while at the tail end of the year the team was leading Kilkenny by 3-4 to 1-9 with nine minutes to go in a NHL game at Walsh Park when proceedings were halted because the pitch was invaded. In the build up to the beginning of the golden era of Waterford senior hurling in the late 1950’s Tom Cunningham was busy in both codes at club and County level. Landmarks included a gallant performance by the footballers in the 1953 Munster semi final against Cork, narrowly losing out by 1-7 to1-5, the 1954 senior football final win against St. Otterans, a group side from rural east of the County, by 1-5 to 0-7 in a replay and the 1956 senior football final against Mt. Sion with a 3-2 to 2-4 defeat denying Cunningham a second senior medal. Cunningham was chosen by Munster for the Railway cup footballers from 1955 to 1960 with a winner’s medal denying him on four of those six occasions, the other two years losing semi finals. Certainly, if he was a Kerryman, he had the ability to win an All Ireland football medal. Tom Cunningham created his own piece of history in 1957 as he became the only Dungarvan player ever to line out in the Munster senior hurling and football finals in the same year. He is renowned for scoring the winning point as centre back in Waterford’s surprise 0-1 win over Kerry in Walsh Park in the Provincial semi final before lining out with fellow dual stars Seamus Power, Michael O Connor and Larry Guinan in the Munster final which Cork won by 0-16 to 1-2. Cunningham played at full forward in the first round of the Munster hurling championship against Limerick with Waterford winning by 4-12 to 5-5. He was moved to corner back for the final against Cork which the Deise won by 1-11 to 1-6 and ‘’with the unenviable task of marking Cork’s danger man Paddy Barry, he completely blotted out the Glen Rovers man and sealed off a number of dangerous moves.’’ The team suffered heartbreak in the All Ireland final to Kilkenny when they were pipped by a late point. ‘’ Our best line on the field was the full back trio of Barron, Flynn and Cunningham and it must have been exasperating for the latter who completely controlled and outmanoeuvred Sean Clohessy while he marked him to see the Tullaroan man shoot the equalising point four minutes from time after he had been moved to the wing’’. Final score : Kilkenny 4-10 Waterford 3-12. The Dungarvan star played with both County sides again in 1958, reaching the Munster final in hurling which Tipperary won convincingly by 4-12 to 1-5. The successes of 1959 almost passed him by as he suffered a hand injury in February and missed the first two Munster championship wins over Galway and Tipperary. He came on as a sub in the Munster final and again in the All Ireland final which ended in a draw : Kilkenny 5-5 Waterford 1-17. In the replay ‘Cunn’ started at full forward as he added a senior medal to his minor one eleven years previously : Waterford 3-12 Kilkenny 1-10. Though 1959 was as busy a year as any for Tom Cunningham he refereed the Munster senior football final in Killarney when Kerry beat Cork by 2-15 to 2-8. His two linesmen were Larry Guinan and Frankie Walsh. In 1960 Cunningham refereed the All Ireland senior football drawn semi final game between Down and Offaly. Though one of these now successful Waterford stars was still in the middle of his inter County career, Tom Cunningham’s interest in his club was also of paramount importance. Not surprising, for as far back as 1951 at twenty years of age he was on the club committee and in 1952 he was club treasurer. ‘Cunn trained the Blues minor footballers to win the 1961 County minor football final against DLS by 0-6 to 1-2 with fellow inter County star John Barron training the opposition. Tom and Bro. Looney(trainer) at the CBS guided the Blues minor hurlers in the epic three Western finals v Abbeyside in 1964 before losing out to Mt. Sion in the County final. However, two years later all was put right when their charges beat Ferrybank by 2-9 to 1-4. Vice chairman of the local club during these years Cunningham, concentrating on the small ball game from the early ‘60’s, was part and parcel of the Waterford team that defeated Tipperary on two occasions in 1963 which is noteworthy as this was something the Deise couldn’t achieve even once between 1943 and 1958. Tom was back in the corner of defence for the Munster final , ‘’coolness personified, he tamed Tipp’s goal terrier Sean McLoughlin with his finest display in a long time.’’ He was 32 years old. Waterford also beat Tipp in the home league final in ’63 by 2-15 to 4-7 before defeating New York in the final proper after a replay in Nowlan Park by 3-10 to 1-10 with a former Dungarvan player Johnny Quarry lining out at full forward for the visitors. 1963 was the year that this Waterford group of players should have added a second All Ireland title and despite scoring six goals in the final against Kilkenny they were beaten by 0-3 on a score of 4-17 to 6-8. Tom was chairman of his club in 1964 while he played on the Deise side that were narrowly beaten by Cork in by 4-10 to 5-6 and again in1965 after a replay on a score of 1-11 to 2-5. His final chance of a club hurling medal was denied by Geraldines in the Western intermediate final in 1965 on a score of 2-4 to 0-9. Tom hung up his County jersey in 1966 after the Munster final defeat by Cork on a score of 4-9 to 2-9 and the following year he was elected as Waterford’s rep to the Munster Council a position he held until he retired from it in 1991. His hall mark at this level and at County conventions and board meetings was his wise counsel and common sense approach which his former colleague and friend the late Seamus O Brien used refer to on occasions. At club level it was the same and to this day when he is asked for his opinion on club affairs. The now former County star trained club teams in the 1970’s including the intermediate hurling side that beat Stradbally in the County final of 1978 by 1-14 to 0-8 along with fellow selectors ‘Twig Lyons, Pat Wade and Martin Sandford. In addition to training under age teams during the 1980’s he worked behind the scenes in acquiring and developing Dungarvan’s first permanent home of its own and he is currently one of the club’s five trustees. In essence, Tom Cunningham gave a lifetime of service to Gaelic Games that any club and County would be fortunate to receive.