On Feb. 19, Iona University’s Gaelic Society hosted NYPD Emerald Society Corresponding Secretary Sean Liscoe for a riveting discussion. The Emerald Society is an organization of Irish American policemen based in New York City. Established circa St. Patrick’s Day 1953, the central premise of the organization is to unite police officers of Irish descent. The Society is known for social events, most notably its appearance at the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
With regards to his experiences at Iona, Detective Liscoe opined “I want to thank the Iona University Gaelic Society for inviting me to their meeting. One of the reasons I chose to come to Iona as a student was how steeped in Irish culture the campus is. I love coming home to Iona; I went straight from the classroom here to the police academy in 2012 and hopefully any students looking to pursue a career in law enforcement had a lot of their questions answered.”
Liscoe proceeded to inform the audience of the various instances in which he would do so, which included a recent case of interest. Detective Liscoe was one of the many police officers called to the scene after the “teen takeover” at the Bay Plaza Mall in the Bronx.
Detective Liscoe attended Iona University, majoring in both political science and journalism (in fact, he wrote for The Ionian). He would have graduated in 2013 had it not been for the demands of the police academy. Nevertheless, Liscoe would not have it any other way, particularly the segment of his career spent as a detective. Liscoe emphatically stated that he loves “being a street cop … but being a detective is far more rewarding as it allows you to help a lot of people.”
According to Detective Liscoe, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade not only predates the formation of the ES but even the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Besides the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the St. Patrick’s Parade is easily the Big Apple’s largest parade event, complete with giant green, white, and orange flags flying overhead to stand for Irish heritage.
Even as Covid-19 lockdowns began, approximately twenty men and women stood for the Society at the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Liscoe recalls. Of course, New York parades are not the only events that the ES and its talented pipe band visit. It has been called to Normandy for D-Day memorials and performed at the last several Presidential inaugurations.
Liscoe and ES are looking towards the 2026 St. Patrick’s Day Parade with much anticipation, as ES and its members will be marching together in celebration of the holiday.
