[1] He joined Old Belvedere, who were coached by Ireland legend Ollie Campbell at the time, before joining Dublin University, the rugby club of Trinity College, which Cunningham attended at the time.
[citation needed] In 1992, Cunningham's work took him to Dooradoyle, Limerick, and he joined Garryowen, for whom his father had also played for, and was pressed into the first XV after Keith Wood suffered a shoulder injury.
With Wood focusing on his Ireland commitments for the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Cunningham won a second Munster Senior Cup in 1995–96, and an injury to Terry Kingston saw him earn the first of eight caps for Munster in 1995.
[citation needed] His performances for Munster saw Cunningham earn selection for the Ireland A squad and a contract offer from the IRFU, but three months into the contract he suffered a popped disc which hampered his career.
This biographical article relating to Irish Rugby Union is a stub.