Welcome to this special bonus episode of The Greg Hughes Podcast.
On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda militants hijacked four commercial airliners in a coordinated terrorist attack against the United States, taking 2,977 civilian lives—including 343 firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice at the World Trade Center.
Marking the upcoming 25th anniversary of that fateful day, a team of six Donegal firefighters is preparing to travel to the US East Coast for the 2026 Ride for Resilience—a five-day, 343-mile charity cycle from Boston to New York City. The trek will raise vital funds for three major organizations: Friends of Firefighters, Livestrong, and the Boston Fire Cancer Foundation.
Joining me on the podcast to discuss the journey, the deep transatlantic bond between Donegal and New York, and the lasting legacy of 9/11 is Conor McGuigan, Chairperson of the Donegal Firefighters Association, along with Nancy Carbone, Founder and Executive Director of Friends of Firefighters.
We are also privileged to be joined by two FDNY veterans who were on the ground on September 11th: Captain Liam Flaherty of Rescue Co. 2 and Deputy Chief John Corcoran. Together, they share their personal accounts from Ground Zero, reflect on how technical rescue has evolved over the last quarter-century, and discuss why community, remembrance, and standing together still matter so much today.
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