Bertie Cunningham
Irish Gaelic footballer (1939–2023)
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Bernard P. Cunningham (1939 – 19 January 2023) was an Irish Gaelic footballer. At club level played with Ballivor and at inter-county level with the Meath senior football team. Cunningham usually lined out as a centre-back.
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| Native name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1939[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | (aged 83) Ballivor, County Meath, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Centre-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing career
Cunningham first played Gaelic football and hurling at Killyon NS before later attending both Trim CBS and Trim Vocational School.[2] He won an All-Ireland Vocational Schools' medal with a Meath selection in 1956. At club level, Cunningham won county championship medals with the Ballivor juveniles in 1952 and 1954, before winning a Meath IFC title in 1971.
Cunningham first appeared on the inter-county scene with the Meath minor team that won the All-Ireland MFC title in 1957.[3] He immediately progressed to the junior team before making his senior team debut in an O'Byrne Cup game in 1958. Cunningham won the first of four Leinster SFC medals in 1964.[4] After losing the 1966 All-Ireland final to Galway, he was again at centre-back when Meath defeated Cork in the 1967 final.[5] Cunningham ended the All-Ireland-winning season by being named Texaco Footballer of the Year.
Coaching career
In retirement from playing, Cunningham was involved in coaching at all levels with Ballivor. He also spent a period as a selector with the Meath senior team.