{"id":152121,"date":"2026-03-04T07:56:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T07:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/152121\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T07:56:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T07:56:26","slug":"st-pats-for-all-parade-marches-for-inclusion-in-honor-of-malachy-mccourt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/152121\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Pat\u2019s for All parade marches for inclusion in honor of Malachy McCourt"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the 27 years of St. Pat\u2019s for All<\/a>, traditions have developed and grown, people step away, people join. Each parade is different, each parade is the same. There\u2019s always joy, there\u2019s always determination. There\u2019s always a message to be sent loud and clear, from the speakers\u2019 podium and in the streets.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s St. Pat\u2019s for All parade in Sunnyside and Woodside brought new participants, and the ones who have been there for a long time marched to honor the ones who went before.<\/p>\n

March 1, the start of St. Patrick\u2019s season, was a busy one in the city. There was a Lunar New Year parade<\/a> in Manhattan; the Staten Island St. Patrick\u2019s parade, in its second year of being an inclusive march; and a protest downtown against the war in Iran.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s parade was dedicated to Malachy McCourt<\/a>, the writer, singer, performer, and activist who was there at the beginning and passed away in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s theme is \u2018Together: Forward\u2019\u201d said Archley Prudent, parade co-chair. \u201cMalachy never missed a parade, so we are proud to dedicate this special day to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"St.St. Pat\u2019s for All co-chair Archley Prudent addresses the crowd.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n

\u201cMalachy and I were great friends,\u201d said award-winning actress Kate Mulgrew, one of the grand marshals. \u201cHe had me on his radio program and got me involved with the Irish-American Writers and Artists.\u201d Mulgrew said she was glad to march in the parade for the first time. \u201cIt exemplifies the true spirit of American diversity, courage, and passion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with Mulgrew, Charlotte Moore, and Ciaran O\u2019Reilly, co-founders of the long-running Irish Rep, as well as long-time parade participants, were honored as grand marshals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"DanielDaniel Dromm with grand marshals Ciaran O\u2019Reilly, Kate Mulgrew, and Charlotte Moore.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n

Irish-Americans and Irish-Irish came from all over to support the parade, and stand up for its message of inclusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Congressmember Timothy Kennedy (D-NY) came down from Buffalo to march. \u201cThis parade is more reflective of our nation,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are the people who will save the country and restore faith in government. We\u2019re going to win in November.\u201d<\/p>\n

State Senator Brian Kavanagh (D-27th), who has recently announced he is stepping down, will continue to speak out. \u201cI think we\u2019ve really stepped up in reflecting the values of New Yorkers,\u201d Kavanagh said. \u201cThis parade came at a moment of exclusion, and the event has become the tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

State Senator Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), who has also announced he is stepping down, recalled his long history with the parade, and his fight for marriage equality in the State Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a challenging time in our country,\u201d said New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, another longtime supporter of the parade. \u201dMalachy McCourt had a generous spirit that we need more of, to heal the divisions\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

From overseas, Mickey Murray, who was last year\u2019s grand marshal as Lord Mayor of Belfast, returned this year because, he said, it was so much fun. When he arrived, he said, federal agents asked him where he was from, who he was seeing, and what politicians he knew.<\/p>\n

Two more Northern Ireland electeds journeyed to Queens as well: Colum Eastwood, a Member of Parliament of the City of Derry, was joined by Councillor Seamas de Faoite of the Belfast City Council. Both are active in getting Northern Ireland to support LGBTQ+ rights, including marriage equality. Both are also active in the New Ireland Commission, with the goal of uniting Ireland, which now comprises the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland, which remains part of the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI send greetings from the families of the people who were marching in 1972,\u201d [on Bloody Sunday] said Eastwood. \u201cThey were marching in Derry against internment of innocent people, marching for civil rights. We stand in solidarity with you against ICE, and illegal detention. From your own civil rights movement, remember We Shall Overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

The newest Consul General of Ireland, Gerald Angley, kept up the tradition of consul generals supporting and leading the parade. \u201cIt\u2019s a parade I\u2019ve heard about for years,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a parade and a movement that made a huge difference, and the need to make that difference remains today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NewNew York Attorney General Letitia James \u2014 a mainstay at St. Pat\u2019s for All \u2014 takes the stage.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s such a fierce urgency of now, to quote Martin Luther King,\u201d said Councilmember Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights). \u201cWe could not be in a more urgent place to fight hate, bigotry, and family separation. It\u2019s up to us to stand by our queer, trans, and immigrant communities. We march and stand up for each other.\u201d <\/p>\n

Council Speaker Julie Menin agreed with the urgency. \u201cWhat happened when they took down the Pride flag at Stonewall<\/a> is the kind of erasure that must not stand,\u201d Menin said.<\/p>\n

As former councilmember and one of the parade\u2019s founders, Danny Dromm, took the stage to introduce the honored guests, he mentioned that he\u2019d gotten some pushback for leading a \u201cF\u2013k ICE\u201d chant at last year\u2019s parade<\/a>, \u201cso he asked the crowd to chant along with him as he led the call to \u201cAbolish ICE!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMalachy loved language, including the F-word,\u201d said his daughter, Siobhan McCourt. \u201cThere are worse words than feck that\u2019s hate and kill. The four-letter word that\u2019s hard to say is \u2018love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SiobhanSiobhan McCourt, Malachy McCourt\u2019s daughter, pays tribute to her father.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not cower in fear of oligarchy,\u201d declared Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. \u201cWe are marching for those who cannot march today, standing up for civil and human rights. To quote the great philosopher Tupac: got money for wars, but can\u2019t feed the poor.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Guitarist Craig Titchy came to the stage after the speakers finished, and played \u201cWild Mountain Thyme,\u201d the song Malachy McCourt sang everywhere, to everyone. And the crowd joined in as though they heard him shouting: \u201cSing the song children!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll not stand by as our democracy is being shredded,\u201d said parade co-director Kathleen Walsh D\u2019Arcy. \u201cThis is the best thing we can do. Gather as a community. And vote, no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then everyone went down to Skillman Avenue and the parade marched on.
\n\"St.St. Pat\u2019s for All co-chair Kathleen Walsh D\u2019Arcy delivers remarks.Donna Aceto
\n\"RevelersRevelers enjoy the St. Pat\u2019s for All festivities.Donna Aceto
\n\"St.St. Pat\u2019s for All is for everyone!Donna Aceto
\n\"SendingSending a message of inclusion across Sunnyside, Queens.Donna Aceto
\n\"MembersMembers of the Queer Big Apple Corps march to the beat of their own drums.Donna Aceto
\n\"YouTuberYouTuber Superfriends NYC smiles during St. Pat\u2019s for All.Donna Aceto
\n\"TheThe New York Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and Gays Against Guns march together at St. Pat\u2019s for All.Donna Aceto
\n\"TheThe Rainbow Flag still stands tall at St. Pat\u2019s for All.Donna Aceto<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the 27 years of St. Pat\u2019s for All, traditions have developed and grown, people step away, people…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":152122,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-152121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}