‘I’ll come back and marry you’: The legacy of Project Children which took thousands of Northern Ireland kids away from the Troubles.
Two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Denis Mulcahy and the success of Project Children are explored in a new documentary
Arrival day and kids on tarmac at JFK. The lasting legacy of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Denis Mulcahy’s peace mission revealed in new documentary.
By Amy Donohoe
July 21, 2026 at 6:00am BST
As an 11-year-old leaving his American host family at the end of a summer away from the Troubles, one Northern Irish boy turned to their daughter and said: “I know I’m going to come back and marry you.”
Years later, he did. Today, they have three children – a living legacy of a programme that began with just six children in 1975.
Two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Denis Mulcahy, a native of Rockchapel, County Cork, emigrated to the United States in 1962. He is responsible for changing the lives of many children of the north.
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.
He also spent a lifetime proving that peace can begin with something as simple as opening a family home, helping thousands of children from Troubles-hit communities spend their summers in safety across America.
“Back in 1975, every time you put on the television here, the news was all about Northern Ireland,” Mr Mulcahy told the Irish News.
“It’d show the kids on the street, throwing bricks at the security people and the army, them shooting plastic bullets and kids getting killed. It really did get a huge amount of coverage here. It was non-stop.
“There are so many Irish and second-generation Irish here, so it was really big news at the time.
“It was a hopeless kind of situation because you ask yourself, ‘what can I do to help?’ And to be quite honest, there was very little you could do.”
But Project Children, a summer programme started by Mr Mulcahy, helped thousands of children escape the Troubles and build friendships across sectarian divides.
“We came up with this idea that maybe during the summer, during the marching seasons, we would just bring the kids out here for their safety. That’s when all the kids were getting hurt,” he added.
“It really was so small at the start, we brought six kids the first year and of course a big decision had to be made also, whether we did Catholic or Protestant. A lot of people felt there was a greater need to bring Catholic kids out of there but when you do something like that, you have to be fair and do it 50-50.
“I think it was a very good decision to have made because as time went on, a lot of Protestant kids came out of tough, poor areas too.
“There was a need to bring both. That was back in 1975. Any monies we raised went on airfare and insurance. Everybody volunteered their time and host families weren’t reimbursed in any way, they took the kids in for six weeks, they treated them like their own kids, they covered whatever expenses they had.”
Project Children continued to grow throughout the years, it went from six children, then onto 21, then 54 and eventually it was close to 1000 kids each summer.
“It was amazing for the kids who came from poor backgrounds. They tended to stay in their neighbourhoods, get married at a young age and repeat what their parents and grandparents had done. They were on welfare and there was really no future.
“One thing American families brought across to them was without a good education, you’re not going anywhere, so you have to stay in school. A lot of Americans brought kids back to go to school, not that the schools weren’t as good in Ireland but there was a better opportunity for them here.
“When you think about it, you say how could a mother have put a 10 year old child on a plane to travel 3000 miles for the summer. The reason they did it was their safety.
“People always said at least we knew they were safe for the six weeks so we didn’t hesitate to do it. A lot of credit has to go to the mothers. A lot of the fathers were in prison and the person raising their family was the mother. Really, an awful lot of credit has to go to the mothers of Northern Ireland.
“The word spread and we were able to book 468 seats on a 747 plane and we eventually did two 747s, so we were bringing close to a thousand kids a year. You couldn’t do it today, they were different times.”
Even though there’s not a need for the project to continue on such a large-scale, the story of Project Children continues.
“I had a call recently from a young lady, she’s doing her college paper on the programme – so I asked how she knew about it and she said that granny was out several years ago.
“We have generations of kids who keep passing on the positive stories.”
He adds: “There was a young guy years ago that I sent up to the Syracuse area. When he was leaving, he was about 11 years old, he turned to the host’s family’s daughter and said ‘I know I’m going to come back and marry you,’ and he did – now they’ve got three beautiful kids living in Upstate New York in an old mansion that he remodelled.”
Mulcahy never believed the Troubles would be solved in his lifetime, but he pays thanks to many people, including his good friend Bill Clinton. Today, a lot of the people who were in Project Children, have gone on to do great things.
“I would say, what a hopeless situation and this is not going to be solved in my lifetime but little did I know. A lot of the credit has to go on to my good friend Bill Clinton who I travelled to Ireland with on two of his visits. He did a lot at that time for Ireland because he issued the visas, he helped the kids get out of the situation.
“Once they were out of it they realised that we’re all the same. We would bring the kids, put them into neighbourhoods, they would meet each other and as soon as they heard that accent, they knew they’d a friend from home. It would be weeks later that they’d realise ‘oh that kid was Protestant or that kid was Catholic.’ It didn’t make any difference, they did have a lot in common, they had the same language, same accents, same ages.
“It’s different times now and it’s great because it’ll never go back to the way it was. However, there is still work to be done. People have to realise they have to live together. We have again come a long way along.”
The documentary How to Defuse a Bomb: The Project Children Story shows how the Project Children charity worked to bring Irish children to live in the US for a six-week summer respite from the everyday violence and strife of The Troubles.
Over the next 40 years, Project Children would go on to impact the lives of over 23,000 catholic and protestant children, showing them that a non-violent life was possible and how tolerance, understanding and communication can lead to life-long friendships.
“The documentary is very powerful and it’s all put together with local people, there’s no acting in it, it’s all factual,” Denis added.
Now in partnership with the Monaghan County Council, the Peace Campus has 50 years’ worth of contents from the programme – ranging from Mulcahy’s bomb squad suit and more.
“Heather Humphreys got the funding for that peace center and it’s amazing. The timing, everything is perfect. I couldn’t think of a better location to have it than right there on the border.”
Monaghan Cathaoirleach, Aidan Campbell, will also be in attendance at the documentary screening in both Washington and Boston.
“It’s important to us because Monaghan County Council started to travel over to the US a number of years ago. We started engaging and as a result of that, they were put in touch with Project Children and the Mulcahy family.
“Project Children was 50 years old last year so they were looking for a home for all the archives. Monaghan County Council and Project Children came together with the Peace Campus. Monaghan has been the home for it all.
“Monaghan is right on the border and we were close to the Troubles. Monaghan is an example of how different communities get on together, all cross-party, cross-religion and cross culture, we all get.
“That’s where the genesis of Project Children comes from, Protestants and Catholics working together and making a better life. The Peace Campus in Monaghan is a symbol of peace and it’s a fantastic building, it just complements Project Children what it’s all about.
“The exhibition was opened last year. The response to the story has been very strong from all generations, particularly people who experience first-hand the troubles, the dark times and our recent history in the north.
“Since the exhibition opened, there have been over 25,000 visitors through the museum.”
The PSNI has failed to exercise newly granted powers against unionist paramilitary displays over the Twelfth, instead demonstrating a continuing bias against nationalists.
Throughout the marching season, unionist flags and banners once again dominated public spaces across the North, raising fundamental questions about the PSNI’s credibility and its priorities.
In the days leading up to the unionist bonfires of Eleventh Night, flags, banners and paramilitary insignia linked to the UVF, UDA, UFF and LVF appeared across Antrim, Belfast, Derry and Dungannon. These overtly threatening assertions of paramilitary territory were erected in full public view, often on public infrastructure, and in some cases beside PSNI members who chose not to intervene.
All of this is unfolding despite recent legislation which explicitly empowers the PSNI to remove materials supporting paramilitary organisations without the need to link them to any criminal investigation.
Last week at Ballyduff in Newtownabbey, a towering bonfire built on a publicly funded platform was transformed into a showcase of unionist paramilitarism. UVF banners depicting masked gunmen and insignia linked to the organisation and its youth wing dominated the structure. A Parachute Regiment flag – invoking the British Army regiment responsible for the killing of 14 unarmed civilians on Bloody Sunday, and other massacres – was hoisted nearby.
Yet the PSNI response has been conspicuously muted. Asked whether it would act, a spokesperson said only: “The (PSNI) considers each incident on a case-by-case basis, and the individual circumstances will determine what specific action police take.”
Sinn Féin councillor Michael Goodman said the Ballyduff displays highlighted the need for wider reform. He said: “These scenes once again reinforce the need for regulation of all bonfires to end the illegality and hate-fuelled behaviour associated with them. These illegal anti-community bonfires threaten the local communities and infrastructure.
“Action is needed to end illegality, sectarianism and hate crimes these dangerous bonfires fuel. Regulation is needed and all political representatives must step up and speak out against these illegal displays.”
The pattern was repeated elsewhere. In Dungannon, a flag commemorating Billy Wright—whose name is synonymous with large-scale sectarian killings and pro-British murder—has recently been erected on a city lamppost. The PSNI position has been to “acknowledge” the display while maintaining that “under current legislation it is not deemed to constitute a criminal offence.”
Sinn Féin’s Colm Gildernew said: “The appearance of a flag featuring a picture of the UVF and LVF leader Billy Wright in Dungannon has caused hurt and offence to many in the area.
“This has been done deliberately to be hurtful, provocative and offensive. They should not have been put up in the first place and should now be removed.”
SDLP councillor Karol McQuade added: “Billy Wright was a sectarian murderer and there can be no place for glorifying or celebrating him. The PSNI should investigate the display of these banners and take appropriate action. They should also be unequivocally condemned by everyone, regardless of their background or community. These displays do not represent Dungannon or the overwhelming majority of people who live here.”
In Derry, footage showing PSNI members looking on as a UFF (UDA) flag was erected has intensified accusations of double standards.
Sinn Féin councillor Emma McGinley said it is “deeply concerning” and called for the PSNI to “carry out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident and to explain why no action was taken.
“Incidents such as this do nothing to build public confidence in policing. Communities are entitled to expect that the law will be applied fairly and consistently, without fear or favour.”
In south Belfast, the situation has escalated further with threats being issued. Alongside UDA flags at the Roden Street bonfire, a banner was also erected carrying explicitly racist messaging and accompanied by a warning that anyone attempting its removal should “think long and hard of what the outcome will be”.
That perception of the PSNI’s refusing to act against unionist paramilitarism has been reinforced by a recent controversy in which a young nationalist was arrested in Derry for wearing a shirt honouring 1981 hunger striker Patsy O’Hara (pictured).
The case was highlighted by the Republican Socialist Youth Movement, which stated: “Honouring his memory is not a crime, it is a basic act of respect for the dead and our community’s history. No local kid should be arrested for wearing a top that commemorates a Derry hero.
“We also witnessed the stark contrast of the PSNI officers present while a UFF flag was erected, with no enforcement action taken. To make matters worse, we have a picture showing a leading loyalist commander from Larne standing side by side with the PSNI. This is not impartial policing. It is one sided political policing that aggressively targets republicans for simple commemoration while accommodating loyalist displays. The people of Derry have had enough. We demand immediate answers.”
In addition to the reduction in overall flying, Aer Lingus said up to 500 employees could be leaving the airline.
Jul 17, 2026
Aer Lingus is set to discontinue three Dublin – US routes, and change another Dublin – US route to summertime operation only, as part of “network and organization changes.”
The Aer Lingus Dublin – Denver route is set to be discontinued after September 28, the Dublin – Minneapolis route is set to be discontinued after October 24, and the Dublin – Las Vegas route is set to be discontinued after December 3.
Additionally, the Dublin – Seattle route will only operate in the summer after October 26.
Meanwhile, the Aer Lingus route from Dublin to Split is set to be discontinued after September 29, while the routes from Dublin to Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Malta will only operate in the summer after November.
All customers impacted by the network changes are being contacted directly and provided with reaccommodation or refund options, Aer Lingus said on Thursday.
The network changes will see overall flying reduced by 6%, Aer Lingus said.
The airline noted that, linked to these network changes, there will be a reduction in the use of two A330 aircraft and four A320 aircraft for peak summer 2027.
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The network adjustments are part of wider changes Aer Lingus is implementing “to support required improvement in its operating margin, which is needed to underpin future investment.”
Aer Lingus said on Thursday that it aims to “achieve and sustain a 12% – 15% operating margin to attract investment over the medium term.”
With the aim of growing revenues, Aer Lingus said it “will invest strategically to improve customer experience.” The airline noted it has recently commenced the installation of high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet and that next year, it will retrofit ten Airbus A330 aircraft cabins and introduce Premium Economy to deliver an “elevated inflight experience” for customers.
However, the airline said that in addition to continued investment in customer experience, “reduced costs and improved efficiency are required in the context of a number of wider challenges,” including:
Aer Lingus said that to address these challenges, it has focused on reducing supplier costs and has reduced senior management roles by approximately 25%. In the next stage, the airline proposes to reduce wider employee costs in Head Office functions by approximately 25% and make network changes to remove lower-margin flying.
Aer Lingus said it will consult with employees and their representatives regarding the Head Office function changes and the network changes, which could see up to 500 employees leaving the airline.
Aer Lingus said it will also engage with employees and their representatives on cost efficiency and productivity so that the airline “can be an investment case within the IAG group.”
“The more cost efficient and productive the airline is, the more it will be able to fulfil its network and growth ambition,” Aer Lingus said.
“The consultation and engagement process will focus on reducing redundancies and potential future redundancies and on what needs to be done to secure future investment in the business.”
Commenting on the changes, Lynne Embleton, Chief Executive, Aer Lingus, said on Thursday: “Our accelerated transformation aims to set Aer Lingus up for the future; to ensure the airline is a strong investment case and able to weather the turbulence in our industry.
“An efficient cost base, coupled with investment in our customer experience, will enable Aer Lingus to fulfil its ambition to be the airline of choice connecting Europe with North America, support future growth and continue to provide connectivity and significant economic contribution to Ireland.”
MARTIN HURSON, aged 24, was born in Cappagh, County Tyrone, on 13 September 1956.
Martin was arrested in November 1976 and was charged with possession of explosives following sustained physical abuse at the hands of the RUC. He received a 20-year sentence in November 1977, which he unsuccessfully appealed against on a number of occasions.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
An IRA Volunteer, Martin stood as a H-Blocks/Armagh candidate in the Longford/Westmeath constituency during the June 1981 general election in the South, polling extremely well but missing out on election.
He spent 46 days on hunger strike from 29 May. He died on 13 July 1981.
Shock at death of Martin Hurson
THE death of IRA Volunteer Martin Hurson on 13 July 1981, after 46 days on the Hunger Strike, was unexpected. The suddenness of his death, coming only five days after that of Joe McDonnell, came as a shock since two other Hunger Strikers – Kieran Doherty and Kevin Lynch – had been almost a week on hunger strike ahead of Martin.
Martin had replaced south Derry man Brendan McLaughlin, who was forced to come off the Hunger Strike due to a burst stomach ulcer. His health since being moved to the prison hospital had been deteriorating at a far quicker rate than that of his comrades. Throughout the Hunger Strike he had difficulty keeping down the required daily five pints of water. This problem caused him to hallucinate and he suffered from a degree of incoherence in his speech. He rapidly deteriorated towards the end.
Martin Hurson was the sixth H-Block Hunger Striker to die.
Coming two weeks earlier than might have been expected, his death disproved the assessment that the Hunger Strikers were not in danger until around the 60-day stage. Even as the young Tyrone man was dying, the vindictiveness of the prison authorities never abated. Though the family had been sent for due to his serious condition, Martin’s brother, Francie, was refused entry to the prison because he arrived after 10pm! He spent the night outside the H-Blocks gate as his brother died inside.
• IRA guard of honour lifts the coffin of Martin Hurson at the graveside
The following morning, Martin Hurson’s body was removed by the RUC to Omagh Hospital without consultation with the family. This was to deny mourners en route the opportunity to pay their last respects. Despite this, over a hundred cars followed the hearse from Omagh to the Hurson home in Cappagh, County Tyrone.
Relatives, friends and comrades carried the coffin for the last mile home, escorted by a uniformed guard of honour and followed by a large procession of sympathisers.
Later, at the Hurson home, guards of honour from the IRA, Cumann na mBan and Fianna Éireann stood to attention as unending lines of mourners filed past the coffin.
On Wednesday afternoon, Martin Hurson’s relatives carried the Tricolour-draped coffin, with gloves and beret on top, down the country lane from his home to the hearse waiting to take his remains to Galbally Church. A lone piper led the hearse, which was escorted by an IRA guard of honour, followed by Cumann na mBan and Fianna Éireann. Wreath-bearers headed the thousands of mourners as three British Army helicopters flew overhead.
Following the funeral Mass, the guard of honour carried the remains to the burial plot. Four armed and uniformed IRA Volunteers emerged from the mourners and fired volleys from handguns in honour of their dead comrade. They then stood for a minute’s silence.
• Martin Hurson’s sisters Josephine, Rosaleen and his fiancé Bernadette Donnelly at the funeral
Tyrone republican Francie Molloy presided over the graveside ceremonies. The 1916 Proclamation was read out and a bugler sounded The Last Post as IRA Volunteers stood to attention in salute of their former comrade.
An impassioned and comprehensive oration was given by Seán Lynch, who had been Hurson’s election agent in the 1981 general election. Speaking of Martin Hurson’s past, Lynch described the 26-year-old as “a member of a large family whose mother died when he was only a boy, a young man who played Gaelic football for the local GAA club in Galbally, a lover of all things Irish who was forced to emigrate and who returned and threw in his lot with those who dispute the claim of England to rule over one inch of Irish soil”.
Seán Lynch talked about the sacrifices of freedom fighters of the time, saying they possessed the same “virtue of patriotism, of spiritual, unselfish love of country as it was understood by Mercier, Casement, Pearse, MacSwiney, Stagg, Sands, and Martin Hurson”.
He went on to say their sacrifices would “save the cause of Irish independence from destruction at the hands of foreign enemy and native compromiser, and carry it to victory yet”. There was a certain prophetic note to Lynch’s words and again when he said that the spirit of Martin Hurson shines and “calls like a voice from Heaven, filling young hearts with courage and determination”.
He went on to outline the origins and sources of not only the horrendous conditions endured by prisoners in Armagh and the Blocks but also “all our social and political evils – the British connection”. He also pointed to the “pretence and skulduggery” of the Irish Government of the time who, six deaths later, still refused to support the prisoners’ ‘Five Demands’.
Only three days separated the funerals of Joe McDonnell and Martin Hurson. The proximity of the deaths intensified the depth of frustration and sadness felt by supporters of the Hunger Strikers. Ireland was awash with protests but the British Government still would not budge.
Catholic and Protestant church leaders unite in condemnation of mosque ‘hate display’.
Replica mosque placed on loyalist bonfire in Co Tyrone
Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.
By Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent
July 10, 2026 at 8:36am BST
Catholic and Protestant church leaders have said the placing of a replica mosque on a loyalist bonfire is “grossly offensive”.
Catholic Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin and Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, were speaking before police moved in to remove a hate display at Moygashel, near Dungannon on Thursday.
The controversial pyre was set alight before the offensive display was removed.
The model mosque is thought to have been placed on the pyre on Wednesday and was due to be lit on Friday as part of the July 12 celebrations on Friday.
Two signs were placed on the pyre reading “secure our borders” and “end the threat of radical Islam”, while a figure holding what appears to be an ISIS flag was also added.
Images circulated on social appear to show banner hung from a fence close to the bonfire with the message “are you concerned with the current direction of our world – the Bible has all the answers”.
It is not known who was responsible for that signage.
In a joint statement the respected Christian church leaders said society “should be appalled at the provocative denigration of symbols associated with faiths that are sincerely held by others”.
“The targeting of the Muslim community through crude symbols and threats of violence by sinister forces undermines these Gospel principles of respect and compassion as well as freedom of religion which is a fundamental principle of a democratic society,” they said.
The senior church figures added that “the placement of a replica mosque atop a bonfire is grossly offensive and raises tensions so soon after the unrest that destroyed property and severely impacted the lives of individuals and families.
“Christians of all traditions would be aghast at the wanton destruction of Christian imagery,” they said.
“Likewise, we should be appalled at the provocative denigration of symbols associated with faiths that are sincerely held by others.”
The archbishops encouraged Christians to reflect.
“We urge Christians, and all people of good will, to reflect carefully on their actions which can ignite violence against innocent people, all of whom are made in God’s image and are therefore worthy of respect and compassion,” they said.
“We want to assure our Muslim fellow citizens and those who are living and working here of the goodwill and respect of the majority of people here.”
