THE mere mention of Wall Street can send the mind careering off in a million different directions. Flustered stockbrokers with phones glued to their ears, trade floors strewn with sheets of paper amid stress-induced madness as traders scream ‘buy, buy, buy’.
Hollywood’s various interpretations have only embellished those stereotypes.
From the slicked back seriousness of Michael Douglas’s Gordon Gekko and his famous “greed is good” speech, to the Quaalude-induced anarchy that was 2013’s Wolf of Wall Street, an image is presented of unimaginable chaos and crazy playboy lifestyles.
Michael Cunningham is a software engineer for Barclays, one of the largest banks in the world, and has worked at a trading desk on Wall Street for the guts of the past five years. The things you must’ve seen, eh? Eh?!
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“Ah, it’s nothing special… it’s just a street, like.”
You can take the man out of Castlewellan, but you won’t take Castlewellan from the man.
Needless to say, there’s nothing yuppie about Michael Cunningham. In fact, there’s not much New York about him at all.
“I should’ve come on the phone saying ‘hey maaaaan, what’s up, shouldn’t I?’…”
Yet the ‘Big Apple’ is a place that has opened his eyes to a world of opportunity, broadening horizons and providing a platform for a bright future whatever way he turns.
In the coming weeks, he takes up a new role as co-founder and chief technical officer at Zelta (zelta.ai), alongside two fellow Irishmen. As well as getting that off the ground, he is also in the first of a three-year Masters course in business administration at New York University.
“It’s a different world here, really.
“It’s great, I love New York… don’t get me wrong, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. You work a lot of hours, there’s very few holidays - it’s just relentless work. I don’t mind that at the minute, maybe it would be different if your priorities changed.
“But for now it suits me down to the ground. I still miss the town like, but it’s enjoyable for the time being.”
Work hard, play hard? Football just about fits in somewhere amid that hectic schedule - yet there was a time when it was at the centre of everything.
The connections, the friendships formed, they’re still there, yet tomorrow he will be thousands of miles away - most likely sat at his home in Astoria - watching on as Down try to take Monaghan’s scalp in Clones.
The last time they shocked the Farneymen, Cunningham was there, a hulking presence between the sticks when the Mournemen turned Ulster Championship predictions upside down at Armagh’s Athletic Grounds to book an unexpected provincial final spot.
That was 2017. After defeat to Tyrone at a sun-soaked St Tiernach’s Park, Monaghan got their revenge in a qualifier at Croke Park as Down’s summer voyage ended. And there would be no Jordan Belfort-esque “I’m not f**kin’ leaving” proclamations either – within three months Cunningham was gone, never to return. At least not any time soon.
“I’d still be in touch with a lot of the boys. I was talking to Barry O’Hagan this morning there, I’d be talking to ‘Buba’ [Rory Burns] – like, he’s from five doors down. Me and him grew up together.
“I’d been on the panel when I was 18, behind Brendy McVeigh, and then started under Eamonn Burns. It’s an unbelievable honour to wear your county jersey and play on big days - it’s what you always wanted to do since you were a young fella.
“Even now, watching the Ulster Championship, there’s a part of you would love to be involved. I don’t think anyone would say otherwise.
“That year was an unreal experience. We had some great quality players - Down always have great quality players. But eventually it was time to stick or twist for me.
“I finished a Masters in Queen’s then there was a chance to do a year visa over here - it was a pretty unique opportunity, so I was thinking if I go for a year or two, and get that on my CV, it’ll stand me in good stead for any job I go for in Belfast or Dublin.
“Thankfully I did well and things have gone from there. It wasn’t planned how it has turned out, it just happened organically really.”
Homesickness still eats at him now and then, but his circle of friends help lighten the load.
And while Cunningham has found himself immersed in the glitz and glamour of American sports, there’s still nothing to touch streaming club championship matches from home with the legendary Patsy Russell on the mic.
“Patsy’s some craic,” he laughs, “some of the stuff he comes out with, it’s unreal. He flies off the cuff, he’s so passionate… that’s what makes it so entertaining.”
Cunningham was 23 when he left Down and, earlier this month, he made his first Championship appearance since walking from the field at Croke Park five years ago – this time in the colours of New York as they just came up short against Sligo.
For the first time, though, the exiles have a second bite at the cherry as they will return home to compete in the quarter-final of the inaugural Tailteann Cup on June 4. With Down needing an Ulster final appearance to remain in the race for the Sam Maguire, a potential showdown with his native county is not out of the question.
“That would be some craic…”
And, after committing to Johnny McGeeney’s men for this campaign, Cunningham is delighted to play any part in the growing New York story.
“When I came out here I was only playing for Brooklyn Shamrocks, I’m still playing for them, but this is the first time I’ve been able to get involved with the county side.
“The community in New York is unbelievable, and that’s down to hard work from a lot of ex-pats or second and third generation Irish.
“Like, if anyone comes over and they’re a genuine, people go out of their way to get you work, digs, just generally point you in the right direction. Being part of the GAA is a great starting point, and you can see how things are developing.
“I coached a ladies’ team to a championship, all the girls bar one or two were Irish-American, and the quality was incredible. I couldn’t get my head around it; they were so technically good.
St Barnabas have won the last two senior championships, then in the Feile, New York are always right there.
“It’s difficult to describe to people at home, but you don’t think you’re in America when you go to play a match at Gaelic Park. Against Sligo, the place was wedged - I had a few friends from school there. I was playing alongside Paddy Boyle - his house is about 100 yards from mine in Castlewellan, we’ve played together since U10s.
“Now getting that chance to play at home, that was a big pull for getting involved this year. You never know where it could take us.”
