Capt Michael Cumiskey famously flew under the Boyne Viaduct
June 1990
CAPTAIN Michael Joseph Cumiskey, Yellow Gap. Termonfeckin, who has died, aged 88, was one of the pionccrs of aviation in this conntry and had a distinguishcd career in thc Irish Air Corp.
Coming as he did from Termonfeckin, his natural environmcnt was the land and the sea. But it was in thc air that Captain Cumiskey chose to make his career. His father before him, Laurencc Cumiskey, was in the British Navy, serving for some time on the royal yacht.
He was only in his teens when he became a mcmber of thc Drogheda Brigade of thc Old I.R.A. taking part in the burning of Queensboro and the destruction of the Clogherhead Coastgtuards. regarded locally then as imperial symbols.
He was barely 20 when he went off on a recruiting lorry, not to be seen or heard of again for a couple of years.
His commanding officer was Michael Collins. His ríse through the ranks was rapid. Soon after joining he was promoted to corporal and was Corporal of the Guard one night, at either Baldonnell or Gormanston, when a knock came to the gate. He challcnged the man at thc gate, rcfusing to let him pass until he found oul that everything was in order. The caller was Michael Collins, who had come on a tour of inspection.
Everything was spick and span inside— except for one thing. There was a large bayonet stuck in a 28 Ib block of butter! If Collins saw this, he said nothing, and a week later Cpl. Cumiskcy’s name was posted on the board as Acting Lieutenant. Hc was made Captain in 1937. In the years that followcd Michael Cumiskey was seconded
to various civil organisations. He had joined the National Army on April 4, 1922, serving continuously with it until May 1946 when he retired from the forces to take up employment with a civil flying organisation, Aer Lingus.
Throughout his service Captain Cumiskey held appointments in the Air Corps, initially employed as an observer and later as a pilot. He completed his flyíng training in 1928. And in addition to this he was involved in the training, control and welfare of troops and administration. He attended courses in civil air transport at Croydon and worked as control officer for military and civil aircraft at Baldonnell and at Foynes. In the last few years of his service he was on Ioan to the Department of Industry and Commerce for air traffic control duties at Foyncs and Collinstown airports.
He was on duty the day that Wrongway Corrigan arrived in Ireland and had many stories to tell about that encounter. Captain Cumiskey married in the early twenties to a Celbridge girl, Elizabeth Byrne. He set up home at Termonfeckin, close to the family home at Yellow Gap.
He regularly brought excitement to the village as he landed his plane on the fields near his home. He once caused something more than excitement as in a rare dare devil act he flew his plane underneath the Boyne Viaduct.
The Cumiskeys had seven children, two dauehters and five sons. Both girls died young, but the sons, Declan, Michael, Gus, Cyril and Joe, are well and delight in reminiscing about their daring dad. Joe, his wife Kay and their family are the only ones to remain settled in Termonfeckin. The others are in Britain and in Canada.
Captain Cumiskey’s only sister, Mrs. Eileen
Sweeney, also lives in Termonfecicin. At 84 years of age she is still a remarkably active and elegant lady and has fond memones of her brother, Michael.
She is proud of his accomplishments in the National Army and in the field of civil aviation. Her husband, Michael Swecney, chose a life at sea, but she always followed her brother’s exploits in the air with great interest.
Three of the Cumiskey boys, Declan, Michael and Gus, did short stints in the Air Corp. Joe went to sea before settling into his job with W. & C. McDonnells in Drogheda. Cyril is a vice-president of Kay Mart, the shopping chain in Canada.
Captain Cumiskey was buried with full military honours. There was a guard of honour of military personnel from Gormanston. A volley of shots was fired at the graveside over the Tricolour-draped coffin.
Top ranking personnel from the army and Aer Lingus, among them Lieut. Colr. Michael O’Malley and Mary Fennell, were among the mourners. Also there was former Minister for Defence, Paddy Donegan.
In addition to being an adjutant in the Old I.R.A.. a captain in the army, a civil aviator, Michael Cumiskey was also a Peace Commissioner. He was appointed to that in 1973 by the then Minister for Justice, Paddy Cooney.
His funeral to the old cemetery in Termonfeckin was one of the largest attended in the area. Officiating clergy were parish priest, Fr. Quinn, and his curate, Fr. McCamley.
Family and friends gathered from all parts of the country and from Britain for the funeral, among them son-in-law Ron Julyan, London, currently holidaying in the area.