Following in his parents’ footsteps, Bayside resident Kieran Mahoney has been chosen as this year’s Queens County Aide for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Manhattan.
The 27-year-old was officially celebrated at the Grand Marshal and Aides Installation Reception on Sunday, Feb. 24. alongside 15 other aides to the parade’s grand marshal.
Both his mother and father served as Aides to the Grand Marshal from Queens County in 1996 and 2011. His family heritage can be traced back to Skibbereen in County Cork, Ireland.
According to the official website for the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade, aides to the grand marshal are chosen “in recognition of their outstanding service to the Irish-American Community of New York. The selection of an Aide is acknowledgement of years of unselfish, dedicated and distinguished service to the New York and Irish communities and for their contribution to Irish faith, culture and heritage.”
Mahoney told Patch that although the aide position is “largely ceremonial”, it is “one of the biggest honors” to receive in the Irish-American community. Aides to the grand marshal are some of the first to march in the annual parade.
Board members of the Queens County Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) elected him for the position in the fall of 2018. Mahoney been a member of America’s largest Irish cultural organization since 2010. AOH was founded in Ireland over 300 years ago and made its way to New York City nearly 200 years ago. Organizers formed the secret organization to help Irish Catholics when their churches and schools were plundered as a result of Irish Penal Law.
The Bayside resident has been the A.O.H. Division 9, Queens County president since 2013 and also serves as Queens County Board vice president.
In 2018, Mahoney became president and chairman of the inaugural Bayside St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Irish Echo named him one of their “40 under 40” that same year.
Mahoney is a Holy Cross High School alum and went on to earn his degree in public administration from CUNY John Jay. Upon graduating, he worked as a district representative for the New York State Senate and currently works as a specialist for the NYC Human Resources Administration.
The NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade is on Saturday, March 16, beginning at 11 a.m. Marchers will travel along Fifth Avenue from 44th to 79th Streets.
