Overview
- The column highlights Mayor Zohran Mamdani saying he “hadn’t thought enough” about a united Ireland and repeating “solidarity” language in his St. Patrick’s Day address.
- It reports he attended the James Connolly Irish-American Labor Coalition luncheon, where he posed for selfies with Sinn Féin politicians.
- The piece argues these optics underscore the waning power of New York’s old Irish political machine after decades of demographic and institutional change.
- Citing census figures, the column notes New York’s Irish-American population stands at about 376,000, down to roughly 4.4% of the city from around 27% in the 19th century.
- For context, it points to the Good Friday Agreement, under which the Republic of Ireland dropped its territorial claim, the IRA disarmed, and any reunification can occur only via a vote called by the UK’s secretary of state for Northern Ireland.