S4E18: Brian McCabe – Defending the Community, from NYPD to AIHS
He’s the quintessential New York Irish cop who rose up through the ranks from walking a beat to becoming a highly-ranked detective. He’s also a respected leader of New York’s Irish American community and a man at the center of a major controversy playing out now in New York as the American Irish Historical Society’s irreplaceable Beaux-Arts townhouse home on Fifth Avenue in New York City was put up for sale.
Brian always seems to be in the middle of it all, from his roots amidst a big Irish family, as a cop keeping the peace as a detective during some grim times in New York, in the middle of important peace-building efforts in Northern Ireland, and now in the middle of efforts to save the AIHS.
Brian came into the AIHS as Chairman of the Executive Council, hoping to air out the old building, welcome Irish arts and culture, and return the 125-year-old organization to relevance. And the work was well underway when his situation there became untenable.
The situation soon became vastly more dire as the AIHS announced its plans to sell its landmark building and move its collection to who knows where.
Join us as Brian talks of his Irish American childhood, his adventures scurrying across rooftops in pursuit of “perps,” how he got to know the people in the neighborhoods he served, and the effort to save the AIHS, and the breakthrough when New York attorney general Leticia James blocked the building’s sale.
All that and a bit of “paddywackery” too.
Links for Brian McCabe
American Irish Historical Society Articles
- Plans afoot to block the sale of the American Irish Historical Society in New York - Debbie McGoldrick
- The Battle For the Future of the American Irish Historical Society - Niall O'Dowd
- On a Storied Stretch of Fifth Avenue, a Symbol of Irish America Reels - Dan Barry
- Attorney General James Announces Plan to Preserve and Revitalize the American Irish Historical Society
Brian McCabe
Irish American Community Leader
Brian McCabe is one of a large and well-known Irish American family with a distinguished tradition of service in the political, legal, educational, building trades, and cultural life of New York City. Brian enjoyed a long and accomplished career in the NYPD Detective Bureau as a detective and commander and was widely recognized for his service in the Irish Peace Process. Post NYPD, Brian was a Vice President of Federal Shield, a security and consulting firm engaged in Developing World security consultations and institutional training, and also served as National Director for Healthcare Services with Apollo Security. Brian is the founder and President of the McGuinness-McDonald Division of the AOH, and was 2018 Gael of the Year for the Rockaway St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Brian is also a former Chairman of the American Irish Historical Society. He is currently a System Director with the Bon Secours Charity Health System and a consultant in investigative and security operations, creative and educational projects, and is a featured columnist with the Irish Echo newspaper.
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