Report by Brad Balfour, Arts Editor
On Sunday, September 13, 2026, the 6th Annual Martin McGuinness Chieftains Walk NYC took place at Pier 25, starting on West and N. Moore Street. The Walk honors the late McGuinness’s extraordinary legacy of leadership, peace, reconciliation, and the continuing journey toward a united Ireland.
At present, the island is politically divided with the sovereign state of Ireland (legally described as the Republic of Ireland) having jurisdiction over the majority of island. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland, which lies entirely within the Irish province of Ulster (but consists of only six of its nine counties), is part of the United Kingdom. Achieving a united Ireland is a central tenet of Irish nationalism and Republicanism, particularly of both mainstream and dissident republican political as well as paramilitary organizations. Unionists support Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom and oppose Irish unification.
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had a united Ireland as its goal during the conflict with British security forces and loyalist paramilitaries from the 1960s to the ’90s known as “The Troubles.” In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement was signed which ended the conflict, acknowledged the legitimacy of the desire for a united Ireland, while declaring that it could be achieved only with the consent of a majority of the people of both jurisdictions on the island. It providing a mechanism for ascertaining this under certain circumstances.
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness (in Irish: Séamus Máirtín Pacelli Mag Aonghusa) was an Irish Republican politician and statesman for Sinn Féin and a leader within the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) during “The Troubles.” He was the deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland from May 2007 to January 2017. Working alongside US Special Envoy George Mitchell, McGuinness was also one of the main architects of the Good Friday Agreement which formally cemented the Northern Ireland peace process and established the Northern Ireland Assembly. Though he only lived from lived from May 23rd, 1950 to March 21st, 2017, he is still celebrated for his efforts to achieve Irish unity.
This year, the walkers welcomed McGuinness’s daughter, Gráinne Hargan, who traveled from Ireland to lead the walk. Whether one had walked before or was joining the group for the first time, a small but fervent gathering came together to stand with friends from across the Irish-American community in support of the work of the Martin McGuinness Peace Foundation and its shared vision of peace and Irish reunification.
Due to construction at the Irish Hunger Memorial, the group didn’t meet there this year. The event began and ended at Pier 25. Despite the pouring rain, participants walked along the Hudson River waterfront from Pier 25 to Pier 45 and back. Scheduled from 9 – 10 a.m. the registration and opening celebration took place for walkers to check in and pick up event materials including bright green T-shirts that everyone there wore through the rain soaked walk.
Despite the weather, special remarks from Foundation representatives and honored guests were shared with the small crowd kicking off the procession. Old friends and new from across the Irish-American community came together along the usually beautiful Hudson River waterfront to support the Chieftains Walk.
For more info, visit the website at https://martinmcguinnesspf.org