Tributes have been paid to Galway Racecourse chairman and former auctioneer Terry Cunningham who passed away suddenly on Monday evening. The 71-year-old was extremely well-known in the city due to his auctioneering business and work on the race committee, of which he had been a member since 1990.
Former racecourse manager John Moloney described Mr Cunningham as a true gentleman. “I worked with him for 25 years and over that time he became a great friend. He was a prolific member of the race committee who had a huge interest in the betterment of the racecourse. He worked tirelessly and that resulted in him becoming chairman in 2013.”
Current racecourse manager Michael Moloney said everybody at the track was immensely saddened by the news of Mr Cunningham’s death. He described him as a huge asset to the racecourse. “He was there through all the development of latter times. He had an unrivalled knowledge of Galway and how things worked. The committee members are effectively the trustees of Galway Racecourse, they are the ones who make all the big decisions and they have a huge number of duties on racedays.”
Michael Moloney said Terry Cunningham had a huge interest in racing. “He loved Galway but had a real interest in the sport and attended meetings all over the country. He had a few runners in training over the years, most recently a horse called Ad Idem with Pauline Gavin. Anyone I have spoken to over the past few days has said the same thing, he was a complete gentleman. He always treated everyone so well, from staff to sponsors, he would never pass out anyone. He was a real people’s person, he loved the social side of racing.’’
Mr Cunningham’s funeral Mass will take place at 12 noon today (Thursday ) at Galway Cathedral, with burial afterwards in the New Cemetery, Bohermore. He is survived by his brother Paul, sister-in-law Carmel, nephew Barry, niece Jennifer, extended family and many friends and colleagues. Ar dheis de go raibh a anam dilis.
