And he did so, again, shortly before St. Patrick’s Day, when he attended a luncheon hosted by the James Connolly Irish American Labor Coalition—a group named for the radical labor leader who is remembered 110 years after his execution by the British as an unflinching champion of Irish independence and a proud socialist campaigner for overturning the rule of “capitalists, landlords and financiers.” The mayor spoke in the language of the group he was addressing, quoting Connolly’s epic declaration: “The cause of labor is the cause of Ireland and the cause of Ireland is that cause of labor.” But the mayor came back on St. Patrick’s Day itself with a more robust response, explaining that “as someone who believes deeply in the principle of self-determination…I think that should also be extended to the Irish.” Most people took that to mean that Mamdani supports the push to hold a referendum on whether the six counties of Northern Ireland should be taken out of the hands of the British and reunited with the 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland.
Author: John Nichols
Published at: 2026-03-20 00:00:00
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