New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, turned an official diplomatic meeting into a distinctly New York moment on Wednesday — walking through Queens and then riding the G train together.
Martin is in New York for United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, and his meeting with Mamdani focused in part on the longstanding relationship between Ireland and New York and the contribution generations of Irish immigrants have made to the city.
From Bingo to the G Train
The afternoon began at the New York Irish Center in Long Island City, where Mamdani and Martin met members of the local Irish-American community.
The two leaders even took turns calling bingo numbers during a regular gathering for senior citizens at the center. Martin was presented with the familiar challenge of calling traditional bingo rhymes, prompting Mamdani at one point to jokingly ask whether he was making them up.
Mamdani was also presented with Ogham artwork during his visit, while Martin gave the mayor a Cork GAA jersey.
After leaving the center, the two walked several blocks toward the subway while continuing their conversation.
Seven Stops on the Subway
Instead of traveling in separate official vehicles, Mamdani and Martin boarded the subway together for a seven-stop ride on the G train.
During the walk to the station, Martin explained some of the history of Gaelic games, and Mamdani expressed interest in attending an All-Ireland final after receiving an invitation from the Taoiseach.
The subway ride quickly became less formal.
Passengers recognized Mamdani and repeatedly approached the pair asking for photographs. One particularly New York moment captured on social media showed a passenger casually sitting between the mayor and the Irish leader for a photo, making those around them laugh before continuing on his way.
For everyone else on the train, the unusual encounter seemed to become part of an otherwise ordinary subway ride.
An Irish Connection to New York’s Subway
Mamdani also used the journey to highlight an Irish connection to New York transportation history.
He pointed to John B. McDonald, an Irish-born contractor associated with construction of New York’s first subway, noting McDonald’s connection to County Cork. The discussion fit naturally with the broader theme of Martin’s visit: recognizing the role Irish immigrants played in building New York and shaping its civic and cultural life.
The two also joked about “splitting the G” — a reference to the familiar Irish tradition of trying to divide the letter “G” on a Guinness glass with the first drink, adapted this time for New York’s G train.
Politics Along the Way
The meeting was not entirely lighthearted.
Reporters asked Mamdani about Irish unity, and he said that the question should ultimately be decided by the Irish people themselves, citing the principle of self-determination.
Martin and Mamdani also discussed issues facing both New York and Ireland, including housing. Martin described housing as one of Ireland’s biggest challenges, while Mamdani said affordability and housing remain similarly pressing issues in New York.
Martin’s New York visit also included a meeting with Gov. Kathy Hochul and other engagements connected to the United Nations General Assembly.
A Very New York Diplomatic Meeting
Diplomatic visits usually bring motorcades, security details and carefully controlled photographs.
This one included bingo, a walk through Queens, subway passengers asking for selfies and two political leaders sharing a regular G train with New Yorkers going about their day.
For a city accustomed to unexpected encounters, perhaps the most New York part of the story was how quickly everyone seemed to accept it as normal.
Only in New York.
Sources: RTÉ News; Irish Examiner; The Journal; New York Mickey / X.
By NJ RADAR Team