Waddell Cunningham

Kyaftin **Waddell Cunningham** (  - 15 ga Disamba 1797) ɗan kasuwa ne ɗan ƙasar Ireland, wanda ya shahara a harkokin kasuwanci da zamantakewa na Belfast na zamanin Georgia . A cikin wani gari da gwagwarmayar neman 'yancin kai ta Amurka ta tayar da hankali, an gan shi a matsayin abokin gyara. Ya kasance mai kula da ƙungiyar agaji ta Belfast da gidan talakawa ; kwamandan ƙungiyar masu fafutukar sa kai ta ƙasa; kuma babban mai biyan kuɗi a tsakanin 'yan Presbyterian ga farashin gina cocin Katolika na farko a Belfast. Amma muradunsa na kasuwanci da adawa da 'yancin Katolika nan take sun sanya shi cikin rashin jituwa da ɓangarorin dimokuraɗiyya na garin da gundumomin da ke kewaye.

A matsayin fansa don karuwar haya da korar mutane, a cikin 1771 gidansa a Belfast ya kai hari kuma ya lalata shi daga mai haya "Steelboys" daga yankin gidansa a arewacin garin. A shekara ta 1786 zanga-zangar jama'a ta tilasta masa ya watsar da shirye-shiryen yin amfani da jiragen ruwa a tashar jiragen ruwa don Cinikin bayi na Atlantic. A shekara ta 1792, bayan bukukuwan Ranar Bastille, yunkurinsa na zubar da ruwa a cikin ƙudurin gari don tallafawa hadin gwiwar siyasa tare da yawancin Katolika na Ireland ya ci nasara da 'yan sa kai da ke kiran kansu United Irishmen. Yayin da aka shirya shirye-shirye don tawaye na 1798, Cunningham ya kasance sananne a tsakanin masu goyon bayan garin wajen ba da gudummawa ga ayyukansa ga masu aikin gida.

## Mai mallakar jirgin ruwa na New York da mai zaman kansa
An haifi Waddell Cunningham a Killead, Gundumar Antrim , ƙaramin ɗan John Cunningham da matarsa Jane. Iyayen Cunningham biyu sun fito ne daga iyalai waɗanda suka shiga harkar noma da kuma sana'o'in lilin da na ƙasashen waje.  A shekara ta 1752, ya fara aiki a matsayin mai jiragen ruwa wanda ke da hannu a harkar cinikin triangular . Jiragen ruwansa na kasuwanci suna ɗauke da kayan lilin masu kauri da kayan abinci masu gishiri daga Belfast zuwa British West Indies, inda ake sayar da su ga gonakin bayi ; sukari da rum daga West Indies zuwa Baltimore da Birnin New York ; da kuma irin flax daga Turawan Mulkin Mallaka (inda, sabanin Belfast da yankunanta na karkara, ƙarancin aiki ya sa ba shi da riba a sarrafa flax zuwa zare mai lilin) zuwa Ireland. 

Kasuwanci a New York ya kawo shi cikin hulɗa da haɗin gwiwa tare da Thomas Greg, wani Belfast Presbyterian. Da yake amfana daga hauhawar farashin tanadi a lokacin Yaƙin Shekaru Bakwai (1756-1763) kuma, kodayake kansu suna kasuwanci ba bisa ka'ida ba tare da Faransanci da Mutanen Espanya, daga lasisi don kai farmaki da kwace jiragen abokan gaba, Greg & Cunningham ya zama ɗaya daga cikin manyan kamfanonin sufuri na New York.

Bayan yakin, abokan hulɗa sun saka hannun jari daga cikin sabbin dukiyar da suka samu wajen samun gonar sukari a Dominica, wanda suka kira "Belfast". Ɗan'uwan Greg John, wanda ya riga ya kafa a tsibirin, ya ba da bayi.  (A Dominica, kamfaninsu ya ba da sunan Belfast ga wani yanki mai tsawo sama da ƙauyen Mahaut da ke bakin teku da kuma Kogin Belfast da ke kusa). 

## Kasuwancin Belfast
Da yake fuskantar takunkumin shari'a a New York saboda kasuwancinsa ba bisa ka'ida ba, Cunningham ya koma Belfast a 1763 inda, tare da Greg, ya yi aiki don inganta kayan aikin kasuwanci na garin. Sun saka hannun jari a cikin tashar kewayawa ta Lagan (1763), a cikin sabbin tashoshin jiragen ruwa da tashoshin ruwa (Cunningham shine shugaban farko na Belfast Ballast - daga baya Harbour - Board), da kuma gina White Linen Hall (1785) wanda, tare, ya ja hankalin kasuwancin lilin zuwa Belfast wanda ya riga ya wuce ta Dublin. Cunningham ya kuma shiga cikin tsaftace sukari, gurasar gari, masana'antar gilashi, sabbin dabaru don gishiri Donegal herring don fitarwa, kudi ("Bankin Cunningham", 1785),  inshora, da kuma smuggling. 

Daidai da matsayinsa a matsayin mai cin kasuwa mafi arziki a garin, Cunningham ya ɗauki nauyin jama'a. Ya kasance memba mai kafa, kuma babban mai ba da gudummawa, na Belfast Charitable Society, (1774) wanda ya kafa "Mawauta" (Clifton House) a waje da garin. Ya kuma kasance mai gabatar da Kwalejin Belfast da kuma Belfast Society for Promoting Knowledge (Linen Hall Library).

## manazarta