About the Programme
Throughout the 40 years of the program, over 23,000 young Catholic and Protestant children travelled to the US for a summer holiday respite from the everyday violence and conflict of their homeland. The program continues today as an intern program for young college students. The program is both cross-community and cross border, and endeavours to allow participants to immerse themselves in American culture by living and working in the US, beginning each summer with a week working together at Habitat for Humanity in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
In February 2024, the former Taoiseach of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, met with Denis Mulcahy, one of the founding members of Project Children, and the Monaghan County Council in Co. Monaghan, Ireland to officially announce the cultural partnership between Project Children and the Monaghan Peace Campus. There, the history and memorabilia of the Project Children program will be archived, allowing future generations to learn of the accomplishments of this conscientious, volunteer-run organization. The official launch of the permanent archive is set for October 8, 2025.
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 where he served with the Tactical Patrol Force, Street Crime Unit, and the 28th Precinct Detective Squad before joining the elite Bomb Squad in 1983. He retired in 2002 as a First Grade Detective after 33 years of dedicated service to the NYPD.
In 1975, Denis was instrumental in founding the Greenwood Lake Gaelic Society and served as its first President. Later that year, Denis was one of the founders of Project Children.
Denis is married to Miriam (nee O’Rourke), a native of County Leitrim. They reside in Greenwood Lake, New York, and have four children: Denis Jr., a partner with Deloitte and Touche, Maureen, a former Lieutenant with Manhattan Detectives, Sean, also with the NYPD Bomb Squad, and Tara, a Sergeant with the New York State Court. They have eight grandchildren: Tara-Lynne, Denise, Seana, Kaitlyn, Denis III, Lindsay, Sean, and Jake, and a great-grandson, Maverick.
Additional Information on the Project Children Programme can be found here