the county senior panel. He made his senior debut in May 1980, lining out against Kilkenny in a challenge match. Cunningham replaced Timmy Murphy as Cork's first-choice goalkeeper the following year and remained an ever-present fixture for the best part of twenty years. In 1981 Cunningham enjoyed his first major success at senior level when he won a National Hurling League medal following a victory over Offaly. Success in the championship eluded him until 1982 when he collected his first senior Munster title following a 5–31 to 3–6 drubbing of Waterford. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against Kilkenny, with 'the Rebels' installed as the red-hot favourites. All did not go to plan as Kilkenny dominated. Christy Heffernan was the hero of the day as he scored two goals in a forty-second spell just before half-time. Ger Fennelly captured a third goal in the second half as Kilkenny completely trounced 'the Rebels' by 3–18 to 1–15. Cunningham claimed a second Munster title in 1983 as Waterford fell heavily by 3–22 to 0–12 for the second consecutive year. After defeating Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final Cork squared up to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final for the second year in-a-row. Once again Kilkenny dominated the game, assisted by a strong wind in the first-half, and hung on in the face of a great fight-back by Cork. At the full-time whistle Kilkenny emerged victorious by 2–14 to 2–12. For the second consecutive year Cunningham had ended up on the losing side on All-Ireland final day. These two defeats only made Cunningham and Cork more determined to bounce back in 1984. That year he claimed a third Munster title in-a-row following a classic victory over an unlucky Tipperary side. This victory allowed Cork to advance to a third consecutive All-Ireland final. It was a special year for followers of hurling and football as the Gaelic Athletic Association was celebrating its centenary year. As a gesture to Thurles, the cradle town of the association, the All-Ireland final was played in Semple Stadium that year. Offaly provided the opposition and, ironically, it was the first meeting of these two sides in one hundred years of Gaelic games. The game was a triumph for Cork, who won by 3–16 to 1–12 courtesy of second-half goals by Kevin Hennessy and Seánie O'Leary. At the third time of asking Cunningham had finally collected his first senior All-Ireland medal. He