Vinny Cunningham

Vinny Cunningham with the band and Karen Pyne from Derry City FC, after filming a video with children from Ardnashee School. 5 December 2024.

It is with great sadness that we heard the shocking news of the passing of our dear friend, the film maker Vinny Cunningham, after a short illness.

 A true champion of the band, his involvement with us from the early days to the present cannot be overstated.

 Our relationship with Vinny goes way back to the days when he and his brother Daniel would hang around outside The O’Neill house listening to us practice.

Fittingly, both Vinny and Daniel make an appearance in Julian Temple’s My Perfect Cousin video. Possibly this video sparked 14 yr old Vinny’s interest to pursue a career in film making. 

 Vinny made many films and documentaries for TV over the years including his dream project in 2001, co writing, filming and producing (along with Tommy Collins) ’Teenage Kicks: The Undertones’ documentary. Vinny’s charm and enthusiasm not only persuaded a sceptical Feargal Sharkey to take part but also he was pivotal in getting John Peel to participate. 

 The days we got to share with John Peel in Derry while filming will forever be cherished.

 We last saw Vinny in December at Derry’s Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium where he filmed us performing Teenage Kicks with the children from Ardnashee School.

 Our condolences to his wife Deborah and family.

He will be sorely missed. RIP.