Skip to content

Tributes paid to Derry filmmaker Vinny Cunningham

Jake Liggett
BBC News NI
BBC Vinny Cunningham smiles at the camera, he is wearing a red top and blue overcoat. To his left is a display case, and behind him a digital screnBBC
Mr Cunningham died in hospital on Saturday

Tributes have been paid to Londonderry filmmaker Vinny Cunningham who has died at the age of 58.

His work included television series Mahon's Way and Lesser Spotted Ulster as well as documentaries about the Troubles in Northern Ireland and punk icons The Undertones. He died in hospital on Saturday.

Among those paying tribute was Lesser Spotted Ulster presenter Joe Mahon.

Mr Cunningham, he said, "was a friend, a colleague and a constant working companion for over 30 years."

Speaking to the BBC in 2023, Mr Cunningham remembered how he first developed a love for camera work.

In 1983, he enrolled with the Derry Youth and Community workshop, on the proviso that he could forgo the bricklaying and plumbing modules.

"We used to go and film the riots in Derry in the nineties, you always knew when you were filming back then it was the archive of the future."

He would go on to establish independent production company, Open Reel Productions, along with long-time collaborator John Peto, in his home city.

John Peto Vinny Cunningham is sitting in a chair with a camera in front of him. He is wearing a green fleece and black jacket, he also has jeans on. The camera is black and on a tripod. The room has floral wallpaper and a green heater on the back wall. John Peto
Mr Cunningham has left a lasting legacy through his work, his friend and colleague John Peto says

"He was the most proud Derry man," Mr Peto told BBC Radio Foyle.

"He's left a legacy of storytelling in this city that will endure for years and years...This is a man who loved his city and his people and he's been loved back," he said.

Mr Cunningham's work about the Troubles included Battle of the Bogside, No Go: The Free Derry Story and Insight: Operation Motorman.

Films about The Undertones - the most successful band to have emerged from Derry - and his beloved Derry City Football Club, were also among his body of work.

In a tribute on Facebook, The Undertones said Mr Cunningham had been "a true champion of the band".

"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," the band said, adding that his "charm and enthusiasm not only persuaded a sceptical Feargal Sharkey to take part but also he was pivotal in getting John Peel to participate."

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Derry City FC said Mr Cunningham will be "fondly remembered for his friendly, good-humoured nature and his role in documenting some of the most important moments in our club's history."