'At 125mph, you pray your hair stays on': Cork man parachutes from plane for charity 

When 78-year-old Cork man Liam Cunningham decided to parachute out of a plane to raise money for charity, he needed a letter from his doctor, saying not only was he fit enough, but that he was of sound mind.

Some people might think the latter would be hard to obtain!

Joking aside, having jumped through those hoops, Liam carried out a jump from two-and-a-half miles in the sky, and has now raised more than €9,000 for the charity TLC - Teddies for Loving Care.

This provides teddy bears to sick and injured children in Cork hospitals. A national charity that was founded in 2001, it has been funded and supported by the Freemasons and their families since it came to Ireland in 2013.

Getting into the spirit of the charity, Liam did his skydive with his own trusty teddy bear at his side called Red.

Liam, who is originally from Crosshaven, was inspired by his daughter Amanda, who skydived for Marymount after the sad passing of her mum.

If she can do it, he thought, why not me?

And so began this journey of determination, to face his fears and add funds to the charity that is close to his heart.

Liam explains what the teddies mean to small children.

“Hospitals can be a scary place,” he says, “not only for the child but also for their families.

“If a nurse can offer a little bear to a child and tell them that the bear is just for them to name and to keep, it can help the child to feel more comfortable and put their trust in their nurse.

“The child might tell the nurse where the pain is on their teddy, or will bond with their teddy as their new friend who is going through his hospital visit with them as their buddy.

“Years later, this teddy can still be a treasured toy, the bear that got them through a scary time. “

Liam, a retired fitter, is well known as a yarn spinner, story weaver, and tall tale teller, as well as an author. He has been involved with a barber shop group, Carrigaline Pipe Band, and a Kinsale choir, to name but a few, and he has been a freemason for 25 years - but the task of jumping from a plane was his greatest challenge so far.

Having secured the letter from his doctor, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, he was Offaly-bound to the Irish Parachute Club.

“They were amazing,” Liam says, “I felt very safe with my instructor who went through all the details and routines. “

The jump cost €280, but Liam funded it himself to make sure that every cent went to TLC.

The skydive entailed a drop of two-and-a-half miles, with the first mile a freefall. Did he think about backing out?

“There were moments,” he admits, “when my nerves nearly got the better of me, but my instructor Darren Clarke was amazing.

“I was shown videos and was told about all the steps involved, and the instructor you get is the person you jump with, so you’re familiar with one another and I had complete faith in him.”

The weather was against them on their first two attempts, but on the third day the sun shone and the jump was on.

“It was amazing,” Liam says, “when you jump out, you are facing the plane, but then you turn over and can take in the most spectacular views, you can see woods and lakes and clusters of houses.

“You’re travelling at 125 miles per hour so you can only pray that your hair stays with you!”

Was the landing hard on his knees?

“No,” he says, “Darren was in control so it was a lovely soft landing.”

When the parachute opens, does it hurt when it jerks you up?

“No, the straps are wide on your shoulders so they don’t pull.”

The original hope was to raise €2,500, and when that was surpassed, Liam upped the amount to €3,500.

To date, the total raised is €9,072 and counting, which has far exceeded his hopes.

But Liam wasn’t alone. He had the support of his very special bear, Red.

Red took the whole skydiving event in his stride and received a certificate of achievement from the Irish Parachute Club, who were very impressed with the bear’s calmness and professionalism on the day.

Red has yet to find a permanent home, so on September 19 he will be auctioned off at a charity auction at the Carrigaline Court Hotel under the direction of Malcolm Tyrell of Coughlan Downey.

Tickets are sold out for this event, but if you are one of the 50,000 families that received a precious bear while staying at CUH, the Mercy, Mallow, Bantry hospital or Tralee General, you might want to make a live-bid to make Red Ted your very own.

All you have to do is contact Liam Cunningham via Facebook messenger or his number, 089 4195208, and he will organise the rest.

If you are the successful bidder, and live within 100 miles of Cork, Liam will drop Red and his skydiving certificate to you personally.

All funds collected for Red will be used to buy more TLC bears that bring such comfort to smallies during what can be a very stressful experience.

After all, a cuddle from a soft bear can make everything feel a bit better, and that, says Liam, knocks any fear about a skydive on the head.