ANY educator worth their reputation would never permit students to use Wikipedia as a source, as any individual can edit its articles. Having contributed pages to the world’s largest free online encyclopedia, I discovered another unpleasant truth: that some editors have more power than others. Using legal-sounding arguments, they have the ability to delete articles and block users from contributing content.
Among the articles deleted for stupid reasons was a list of New York City parks named after Irish-Americans. In honor of Kevin’s heritage and St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve taken that list to Forgotten-NY with links to pages where they’ve been documented on this site.
For encyclopedic purists, this list is not shown in alphabetical order.
MANHATTAN
Drumgoole Square
Drumgoole Square in lower Manhattan was named for Father John C. Drumgoole. Kevin documented its story in 2025.
Duane Park
Duane Park appeared in Kevin’s 2010 essay on Duane Street, which were both named in honor of James Duane, New York’s first post-revolutionary mayor.
Foley Square
Foley Square was named for Tammany Hall political boss “Big Tom” Foley. It was mentioned in Kevin’s 2024 walk on Centre Street.
James J. Walker Park
James J Walker Park, named in honor of mayor James J. Walker, Kevin visited the firemen’s memorial in this park in 2022.
Father Fagan Park
Father Fagan Park, named for a Father Richard Fagan who served at St. Anthony’s Church. Kevin sat on a bench here in 2025 during his walk on MacDougal Street.
Ahearn Park
Ahearn Park honors former Borough President John Francis Ahearn, a Tammany politician who previously served in the State Assembly and State Senate. Kevin walked on Grand Street past this triangular park in 2022, but didn’t notice it at the time.
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DeWitt Clinton Park
DeWitt Clinton Park honors the governor who built the Erie Canal, connecting this city to the Great Lakes. Kevin visited the neighborhood next to this park in 2011, which shares the park’s namesake.
McCaffrey Playground
McCaffrey Playground is named for Monsignor Joseph A. McCaffrey, who was known as the Bishop of Times Square. Although neither of us have been to this playground, we’ve visited nearby Times Square on many occasions.
Duffy Square
Father Duffy Square was a military chaplain who served in the Spanish-American War and World War One with the Fighting 69th. His church was in this area, which marks the northern side of Times Square. Kevin wrote about Father Francis Duffy in 2019. Expect to see more names relating to this war below. Nearly one in eight memorials across NYC Parks relate to World War I, because of the building boom and parks expansion in the 1920s, and the feeling that there would be another global war again.
Finn Square
Finn Square was named for local World War One casualty Philip Schuyler Finn. His father Daniel Finn was a local political figure. He named his son in honor of Revolutionary War hero Philip Schuyler. Kevin visited his park in 2011, documenting its unique subway station entrance.
McKenna Square
McKenna Square was named for local World War One casualty Pvt. William McKenna in 1924. This triangular park splits W.165th Street. In 2012, Kevin wrote about the northern side of this park, which was once known as Croton Street.
Murphy Brothers Playground
Murphy Brothers Playground honors two local Tammany “chieftains” who represented this neighborhood when it was the Gas House District. The power plant next to this park is the last industrial facility left of that district, most of which was redeveloped for Stuy Town and Peter Cooper Village. Kevin walked on Avenue C in 2025, which passes by this park but he didn’t write about it.
Mary O’Connor Playground
Mary O’Connor Playground is named for a resident of Tudor City who fought to preserve the unique character of her neighborhood. Kevin has been here many times.
Donnellan Square
Donnellan Square in Sugar Hill honors Irish immigrant Timothy Donnellan who was killed in combat in World War One. This triangular park is formed by the grid-defiant St. Nicholas Avenue, 150th Street, and St. Nicholas Place.
Maher Circle
Maher Circle where Jackie Robinson Park nearly touches Highbridge Park. Best known for the Hooper Fountain. Kevin visited this civic monument in 2013.
Gorman Park
Amelia Gorman Park honors a local real estate investor at the turn of the 20th century. Before Washington Heights became Manhattan’s biggest Dominican community, there were Irish immigrants living here.
Dorothy K. McGowan Memorial Garden
Dorothy K. McGowan Memorial Garden on West 158th Street in Washington Heights was founded in 1995 after its namesake convinced the Trust for Public Land and GrowNYC to provide materials and technical assistance to the garden. I could not find more information about her online, but if you know more about her, leave a comment.
Mitchel Square
Mitchel Square, West 166th Street, Broadway, and Audubon Avenue, in Washington Heights honors John Purroy Mitchel, the youngest mayor of this city, who was killed in a training flight during World War One. NYCHA Mitchel Houses in the Bronx also honor this lawmaker. There is also a monument for Mitchel in Central Park (left), and a memorial flagpole in Bryant Park.
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Reggie Fitzgerald Triangle
Reggie Fitzgerald Triangle in the West Village honors a neighborhood activist who was among the founders of the Horatio Street Association and a member of the local community board. Kevin visited this park on his survey of West Fourth Street in 2021.
John Wolfe Ambrose
John Wolfe Ambrose monument at Battery Park honors the engineer who planned the channel carrying his name that eased navigation through Lower New York Bay.
Francis Makemie Plaque
Francis Makemie plaque at Bowling Green Park honors the “father of American Presbyterianism.” Kevin has been to this park but did not notice this plaque.
Tanahey Playground
Tanahey Playground in the Lower East Side honors early 20th century local politician Martin F. Tanahey. The playground was built in 1949 as part of an urban renewal that razed a block of tenements that stood here.
Alfred E. Smith Playground
Alfred E. Smith Playground honors the governor and 1928 presidential candidate who was born in the Lower East Side. His name also appears on the nearby recreation center and NYCHA housing project. I visited this playground and rec center in 2019. This park contains a memorial flagpole for Smith designed by Paul Manship and statue by Charles Keck which Kevin visited while giving a tour. Other governors with Irish ancestry in the past century include Kathy Hochul, Hugh Carey, and Malcolm Wilson.
Irish Hunger Memorial
The State of New York constructed the Irish Hunger Memorial in Battery Park City in 2002. Kevin first visited this memorial in 2013.
Silver Lake Golf Course in Staten Island has its own Irish Hunger memorial as it used to be a cemetery where refugees of that famine were buried after immigrating to New York.
BRONX
D’Auria-Murphy Triangle
D’Auria-Murphy Triangle in the Belmont neighborhood honors two local World War One casualties, John D’Auria and Henry J. Murphy. The streets bordering the park include Crescent Avenue, Adams Place, East 183rd Street, and Arthur Avenue. As this is a historically Italian neighborhood, this park has a bust of Columbus by Attilio Piccirilli installed in 1926.
Ryan Triangle
Ryan Triangle, East 143rd and Morris Avenue in Mott Haven, honors Corporal George P. Ryan, who was killed in combat during World War I and buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Hylan Park
Hylan Park, located at the intersection of Third Avenue, East 176th Street, and the Cross Bronx Expressway, honors mayor John Hylan, who is also honored with a lengthy boulevard on Staten Island. This park is across the street from the much larger Crotona Park. Other mayors of Irish descent in the 20th century include William O’Dwyer, John P. O’Brien, Jimmy Walker, John Purroy Mitchel, and William J. Gaynor.
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O’Neill Triangle
O’Neill Triangle was named in 1940 by the Board of Estimate after “a World War I hero named O’Neill.” There was no first name given and the Parks Department claims at least three local veterans who were the likely namesakes. I visited this park during my survey of Washington Avenue in early 2026.
Barry Plaza
Barry Plaza in Claremont honors local World War I casualty William J. Barry. This triangular park is formed by Anthony Avenue splitting from Clay Avenue, with E. 173rd Street as its third side. It is across the street from the much larger Claremont Park.
O’Brien Oval
O’Brien Oval honors local World War One casualty Captain Thomas A. O’Brien, who lived nearby on Burnside Avenue. This Tremont traffic median is formed by Tremont Avenue, Webster Avenue, Carter Avenue, and Valentine Avenue, across from the much larger Echo Park. Kevin walked by this park in 2018 on his survey of Tremont Avenue.
Murphy Triangle
Murphy Triangle honors early 20th century Bronx Democratic Party Chair Arthur H. Murphy. Nearby NYCHA Murphy Houses also honor this individual. It is formed by Quarry Road, Third Avenue and E. 181st Street.
Watson-Gleason Playground
Watson Gleason Playground in Soundview between Watson, Gleason, Noble and Rosedale Avenues, honors two local landowners from the 19th century, whose names also appear on the avenues bordering this park: William Watson and Joseph J. Gleason.
Whalen Grove
Whalen Grove in the Belmont neighborhood does not have an identified namesake in the Parks Department records. It is certainly an Irish name and unless it was a local veteran or politician, the name brings to mind Grover Whalen, a former NYPD commissioner, WNYC founder, 1939 World’s Fair President, who held a dozen more city positions. Perhaps the city’s biggest promoter during his lifetime. Kevin visited this park in 2017.
Whalen Playground
Whalen Playground in Norwood, Perry Avenue and East 205th, honors local World War IIveteran and neighborhood activist Henry A. Whalen.
James Burke Ballfield
James Burke Ballfield in Soundview does not offer details on its namesake. My guess is that it’s NYPD Detective James J. Burke who was killed trying to stop a robbery in 1946.
DeRosa-O’Boyle Triangle
DeRosa-O’Boyle Triangle, East Tremont and the Cross Bronx, honors William Anthony DeRosa and Andrew O’Boyle, two Throg(g)s Neck residents killed in combat during World War II. It is one of the many small parks lining the Cross Bronx Expressway that I documented in 2021.
QUEENS
Buz O’Rourke Playground in Crocheron Park in Bayside, 214th Place and 34th Avenue, honors a local civic activist.
Crowley Playground
Crowley Playground in Elmhurst brings to mind the local political dynasty that began with Walter Crowley, his son Joe and niece Elizabeth. I wrote about this park in my 2010 essay on nearby Madison Street. Nearby schools I.S. 5 is also named for Walter Crowley.
Dwyer Triangle
Dwyer Square, Northern Blvd. and 34th Avenue in Long Island City, honors Long Island City resident Patrick J. Dwyer who was killed in combat during World War One.
Fagan Square
Fagan Square at Broadway, Newtown Road, and 48th Street in Long Island City honors Astoria native Corporal Frank Farrell Fagan who was killed in combat during World War I.
Noonan Playground
Noonan Playground in Sunnyside was initially named Thomson Hill Park. It was renamed in 1996 in honor of local Vietnam War hero Thomas P. Noonan. Christina Wilkinson first documented this park on her 2005 visit to Sunnyside.
Patrick Jerome Gleason Square
Patrick Jerome Gleason Square honors the last mayor of Long Island City prior to its annexation by NYC. The power he had earned him the nickname Battle Ax Gleason. This tiny traffic triangle bound by Crescent Street, Hunter Street and 44th Street, appear on the Parks website. Kevin visited Gleason’s grave in 2024.
Rafferty Triangle
Rafferty Triangle in Long Island City, opposite Gleason Square at Hunter Street and 44th Drive, honors Captain Malcolm A. Rafferty, a local veteran of the Spanish-American War. I mentioned this park in my 2021 essay on the approaches to Queensboro Bridge.
Murray Playground
Murray Playground, 21st Street between 45th Avenue and 45th Road in Long Island City honors John F. Murray, a Parks worker who was also active on the local civic scene.
Gorman Playground
Gorman Playground in Jackson Heights, between 25th and 30th Avenues and 84th and 85th Streets, honors civic activist Denis P. Gorman.
O’Sullivan Plaza
O’Sullivan Plaza in East Elmhurst, Astoria Boulevard, 25th Avenue, and 88th Street, is a triangular park formed by the grid-defiant Astoria Boulevard. It honors local Vietnam War casualty Christopher J. O’Sullivan.
Frank D. O’Connor Playground
Frank D. O’Connor Playground in Elmhurst honors a local lawyer who served as district attorney, councilman, and judge.
Raymond O’Connor Park
Raymond D. O’Connor Park, between 32nd and 33rd Avenues and Corporal Kennedy and 210th Street in Bayside honors a local newsman turned political staffer of the early 20th century.
Kennedy Playground inside Raymond D. O’Connor Park honors local World War One casualty Corporal William F. Kennedy, whose name appears on Corporal Kennedy Street that borders this park. Kevin spoke about Kennedy in his 2018 description of the Bayside War Memorial. Corporal Kennedy was among 13,956 New York State residents and 7,455 inhabitants of New York City killed in that war. He was buried at the Somme American Cemetery in France.
McKenna Triangle
McKenna Triangle, Jackson and 45th Avenues at Court Square in Long Island City honors local World War I casualty Major James A. McKenna. According to some sources, the flagpole at its center was made from the mast of Shamrock III, the yacht of Sir Thomas Lipton of tea fame and originally stood in Queens Plaza (see this page for Queens Plaza as it looked in 2007).
Police Officer Edward Byrne Park
Police Officer Edward Byrne Park in South Ozone Park honors the NYPD officer who was killed in 1988 while protecting witnesses testifying against drug dealers.
Maurice A. FitzGerald Playground
Maurice FitzGerald Playground in Ozone Park honors the former Queens Borough President who lived nearby. Prior to Borough Hall, he served in the State Assembly, where he was known as “The Father of Queens Parkways.” The gymnasium at Queens College also carries his name.
David J. O’Connell Square
David J. O’Connell Square is one of the many triangular parks on the grid-defiant Rockaway Boulevard. The honoree was a local congressman and the latter was a chaplain killed in the WWII Battle of Okinawa.
Daniel M. O’Connell Playground
Daniel M. O’Connell Playground, between 113th and Murdock Avenues and 196th and 197th Streets in Saint Albans was named for a resident of Rockaway Beach killed in combat during World War One. He was the youngest person awarded the Croix De Guerre in that war. Prior to military service, he was an altar boy at St. Rose of Lima Church, which I profiled on my 2015 visit to Hammels.
O’Donohue Park
O’Donohue Park, along the boardwalk at Beach 17th Street in Far Rockaway, is part of the larger Rockaway Beach park, named after 19th century property owner Mary O’Donohue. I mentioned her in my 2016 essay on Seagirt Avenue.
BROOKLYN
Commodore Barry Park
Commodore Barry Park, between Navy Street and North Elliott Place and Flushing and Park Avenues in Fort Greene, is named for the Irish-born “Father of the U.S. Navy,” appropriately located across the street from Brooklyn Navy Yard. Kevin visited this park in his 2014 essay on Flushing Avenue.
Father Kehoe Triangle
Father Kehoe Triangle, Avenue M at Flatlands Avenue and Ryder Street in Flatlands honors Father James A. Kehoe, who served at the nearby St. Thomas Aquinas Church in the early 20th century. Kevin wrote about him in his 2011 essay on Flatlands Avenue.
Heffernan Square
Heffernan Square (actually a triangle), New Utrecht Avenue, 9th Avenue and 39th Street in Borough Park is named for local developer Patrick Heffernan. Kevin visited this park in his 2016 essay on New Utrecht Avenue.
J.J. Byrne Playground
J.J. Byrne Playground at Washington Park in Gowanus honors a Brooklyn Borough President. The Greenpoint Avenue Bridge across Newtown Creek also carries his name. Kevin walked across that bridge in 2016 on his stroll from Williamsburg to Sunnyside. The historic Old Stone House is seen in the background, discussed often in FNY, most recently on this 2024 page.
John J. Carty Park
John J. Carty Park borders on Fort Hamilton, built in tandem with the Verrazzano Bridge. The namesake lived nearby and was a dedicated city budget worker. Kevin visited this park in 2018 (and played in it as a child, especially in the playground not under the elevated bridge approach) This park’s basketball court appeared in a scene in 1978’s Saturday Night Fever.
Kelly Park Playground
Kelly Park, Avenue S between East 14th and 16th Streets in Homecrest, honors the borough’s postmaster general in the early 20th century. In an unusual arrangement, the park is split by the Brighton Line (B/Q trains), a long-ago steam powered railroad line that was absorbed into the subway system.
Callahan-Kelly Playground
Callahan-Kelly Playground in Brownsville, in the extended triangle or “gore” formed by Fulton and Truxton Streets, Eastern Parkway and Van Sinderen Avenue, was named for local World War I casualties Corporal William E. Callahan and Private Edward E. Kelly. The park was built in the 1930s in tandem with the Fulton Street subway line that runs beneath it. I visited this park during my survey of Eastern Parkway’s extension in 2020.
Kennedy-King Playground
Kennedy-King Playground between East 93rd and 94th Streets and Clarkson Avenue and Lenox Road in Brownsville, is a product of the 1960s honoring president John F. Kennedy and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, both of whom have Irish ancestry.
John F. Kennedy Memorial Bronze
John F. Kennedy Memorial at Grand Army Plaza, perhaps lesser known to the public as it shares this oval-shaped park with a triumphal arch honoring New York’s Civil War veterans. Kevin documented this monument in 2020.
Patrick O’Rourke Playground
Patrick O’Rourke Playground, between 80th and 81st Streets and 11th and 12th Avenues in Dyker Heights honors a local resident whose mistreatment during a medical procedure led to universal mandatory medical monitoring improvements.
Don’t ask me how I remember this, but I attended a touch football game some friends were playing in this park all the way back in November 1976; it was walkable from my house. —Ed.
Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Bronze
The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial at Columbus Park, located near Brooklyn Borough Hall honors the Senator, Attorney General, and presidential candidate. His name also appears on the Triboro Bridge but few New Yorkers call it the “RFK.”
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Taaffe Playground
Taaffe Playground, Taaffe Place and Park Avenue in Bed-Stuy, honors early 20th century Monsignor Thomas Taaffe of Brooklyn’s St. Patrick’s Church. The street bordering this park also carries his name. Taaffe is an Irish transliteration of the Welsh equivalent of David (Dafydd), the patron saint of Wales.
STATEN ISLAND
Brady’s Pond Park
Brady’s Pond Park, the privately owned waterway has an undeveloped park on its border, which Kevin first visited in 2001. NYC Parks maps have the waterway named as Grasmere Lake for the surrounding neighborhood.
In the mid-19th century, the lake and much of the surrounding territory were acquired by a Canadian-born shipping baron and knight, Sir Roderick Cameron, who named them Grasmere after a British Lake District town of which he was fond. In the 1880s, Sir Roderick sold a swampy portion of his property to Philip Brady, who dammed the swamp, creating a pair of ponds, Grasmere Lake and Cameron Lake. Brady then went into the ice harvesting business — winters were colder here in the 1800s, and walkable ice readily formed on standing freshwater. For more on Grasmere, see this FNY page.
Dongan Playground
Dongan Playground in Dongan Hills honors colonial governor Thomas Dongan, who was born in Ireland. His home was on Staten Island, named Castleton Manor after his hometown there. He later returned to the old country after being entitled as the Earl of Limerick. His name also appears on P.S.11, and Dongan Hills Avenue, and, in addition, Dongan Avenue in Elmhurst and Dongan Place in Inwood.
Drumgoole Tot Lot
Father John Drumgoole is remembered all over town. The priest who ran the Mount Loretto orphanage shares his namesake with the plaza in Manhattan (see above) and Drumgoole Road North and South, the service roads for Korean War Veterans Parkway. At Mount Loretto there is a memorial to Fr. Drumgoole, seen here. The kiddie park named for him runs along Drumgoole Road North between Grantwood Avenue and Carlton Blvd.
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Mahoney Playground
Mahoney Playground, Jersey Street at Crescent Avenue, is named for World War I casualty Michael J. Mahoney of New Brighton. I visited this park during my walk on Jersey Street in 2025.
I never noticed it before, but I wonder why this corner rates two fire hydrants. — Ed.
Inevitably, neighborhood demographics change over time. Woodside and Hell’s Kitchen aren’t as Irish as they used to be. These park names forever preserve the names that represented the city’s Irish heritage and their contributions to civic culture.
Among Parks workers with Irish heritage, the Emerald Society also celebrates their heritage, marching under the green banners of Ireland and Parks every year on St. Patrick’s Day. Other sizable city agencies such as the police, fire, corrections, and sanitation also have their own Emerald Societies.
This post just scratches the surface of the subject of Irish place names around town.
Sergey Kadinsky is the author of Hidden Waters of New York City: A History and Guide to 101 Forgotten Lakes, Ponds, Creeks, and Streams in the Five Boroughs (2016, Countryman Press), adjunct history professor at Touro University and the webmaster of Hidden Waters Blog.
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop. As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.
3/16/25