By Peter Lyons Hall
To mark the 50th anniversary milestone for Project Children—and to ensure its message of peace through the eyes of children continues to inspire generations to come—the Monaghan County Council in Ireland and the Peace Campus in Monaghan Town recently celebrated the forging of a new initiative that will protect, preserve, and perpetuate Project Children’s 50-year legacy through an archival exhibit at the Peace Campus, showcasing the stories, images, and artifacts of an iconic organization that brought hope to 23,000 children and countless families during Northern Ireland’s darkest days.
The official launch of the permanent Project Children archive on October 8, 2025 was followed by a weekend of commemorations and community events across County Monaghan. Among these was the Monaghan Society of New York Community Gathering: Honoring Monaghan Immigrants and Project Children Supporters, which took place at the Carrickroe Community Center.
This special gathering, hosted by the Monaghan Society of New York, brought together locals and visitors from both sides of the Atlantic to celebrate shared heritage, transatlantic friendship, and the enduring spirit of peace. Guests enjoyed light refreshments, entertainment, and remarks from special speakers, while reconnecting with the legacy of Monaghan emigrants who built new lives abroad yet remained deeply tied to home—among them, the volunteers and supporters who made Project Children possible and those who carry on its legacy today, including PJ O’Hanlon, Mayor of Monaghan Town; Project Children Founder, Denis Mulcahy; Greenwood Lake Mayor, Tom Howley; Vinny and Colleen Hallinan, Gaelic Society Board Members; and the two boys (now adults) who first arrived in Greenwood Lake as part of Project Children, Kevin Brady and John Cheevers.
Mayor Howley observed “It was an honor and privilege to represent the Village of Greenwood Lake at the 50th anniversary celebration for Project Children in Monaghan Ireland. It was a week full of events that chronicled the program from its humble beginnings that started in our Village. To think that 50 years ago the Mulcahy family, Denis, Pat and Tom had a vision to bring children as young as 10 over to America for six weeks to give them a respite from all of the ‘troubles’ that were occurring in Northern Ireland would become a program that literally turned international.” He continued that “Greenwood Lake will now forever be attached to another relatively small town in Ireland that will house the memories of a great program that began its journey right here in our community.”
What began in the small lakeside village of Greenwood Lake, New York, has grown into a story that bridges generations and nations. Throughout the year, events in both the United States and Ireland have commemorated the enduring impact of Project Children and its volunteers, culminating in the opening of the Project Children Archive at the Monaghan Peace Campus in Ireland. These celebrations not only honor the past but reaffirm the organization’s timeless message: that peace can take root in the hearts of ordinary people, and through the eyes of children, grow to shape a better world.
Project Children offered thousands of young Catholic and Protestant children from Northern Ireland the opportunity to spend a summer in the United States—an invaluable respite from the daily violence, division, and uncertainty of life during the Troubles. What began as a simple act of kindness in a small lakeside community in upstate New York grew into one of the most impactful grassroots peace initiatives of its kind, built on the belief that reconciliation could begin in the hearts of children.
The story began in 1975 in Greenwood Lake, New York, when Denis P. Mulcahy, then a New York City police officer and co-founder of the newly formed Greenwood Lake Gaelic Society, welcomed two young boys from Northern Ireland—John Cheevers and Kevin Brady—for a summer of peace and new experiences. Greenwood Lake’s warm embrace of those first two boys became the foundation for a program that, over four decades, would bring 23,000 children to the U.S. from across Northern Ireland’s divided communities. Each summer, Catholic and Protestant children found common ground not through lectures or politics, but through shared laughter, meals, and simple joys—swimming, playing, and living as ordinary kids far removed from the violence that had shaped their young lives.
To honor that legacy, Project Children volunteers and members of the Greenwood Lake Gaelic Cultural Society gathered this past August at Thomas P. Morahan Waterfront Park to plant a commemorative tree—a living symbol of peace and gratitude. They were joined by Carol and Duke Hoffman, Host Family Number One, who opened their home to two of the first children in 1975, including John Cheevers himself. (The other lad, Kevin Brady, went on to become a journalist and later returned to live in Ireland.)
Project Children’s success also owes much to the steadfast support of the Greenwood Lake community, whose spirit of volunteerism and inclusion has never waned. That tradition continues under the leadership of Mayor Tom Howley, who has helped ensure that Greenwood Lake’s role as the birthplace of Project Children is honored and remembered for generations to come. Today, the program lives on through its internship initiative, which brings college students from across Ireland to live and work in the United States. Each summer begins with a week of service with Habitat for Humanity in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where students from both sides of the Irish border build homes—and friendships—side by side. The experience offers young people a chance to immerse themselves in American life while carrying forward Project Children’s enduring message: that peace, once planted, must continue to be nurtured.
In February 2024, Ireland’s former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met with Denis Mulcahy and representatives of Monaghan County Council to formally announce a cultural partnership between Project Children and the Monaghan Peace Campus. This partnership ensures that the history, archives, and memorabilia of the program will be preserved and displayed at the Peace Campus in Monaghan—a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to cross-border and cross-community reconciliation across the island of Ireland.
Like the tree now rooted at Greenwood Lake’s waterfront, the legacy of Project Children continues to grow—its branches stretching across oceans, generations, and divides. What began with two boys and a village willing to open its doors has become a living testament to what empathy and action can achieve. From the quiet shores of Greenwood Lake to the Peace Campus in Monaghan, the story of Project Children endures as both history and hope—a reminder that even the smallest act of kindness can plant the seeds of peace.
To learn more about Project Children’s history, click on https://projectchildren.org/
Denis P. Mulcahy — Founder
Denis P. Mulcahy, a native of Rockchapel, County Cork, emigrated to the United States in 1962. He joined the New York City Police Department in 1969, serving with the Tactical Patrol Force, Street Crime Unit, and the 28th Precinct Detective Squad before joining the elite NYPD Bomb Squad in 1983. He retired in 2002 as a First Grade Detective after 33 years of distinguished service.
In 1975, Denis helped found the Greenwood Lake Gaelic Society, serving as its first President, and later that year co-founded Project Children—an effort that would go on to change the lives of thousands of children and families on both sides of the Atlantic.
Denis and his wife Miriam (née O’Rourke), a native of County Leitrim, reside in Greenwood Lake, New York. They are the proud parents of four children—Denis Jr., a partner at Deloitte & Touche; Maureen, a former Lieutenant with Manhattan Detectives; Sean, a member of the NYPD Bomb Squad; and Tara, a Sergeant with the New York State Court system. They are also blessed with eight grandchildren—Tara-Lynne, Denise, Seana, Kaitlyn, Denis III, Lindsay, Sean, and Jake—and one great-grandson, Maverick.
Photo credits: Mayor Tom Howley and event participants
