Cork honours two charity founders at civic reception for incredible work 

A large kitchen table with bowls of steaming hot vegetables, a cooked roast and several empty plates on the perimeter, waiting to be piled high with the home cooked dinner, is a scene common in most homes in Ireland. But this one is in New York and where the origins of Project Children began, in the Mulcahy home in 1975.

It has taken over 50 years for Denis Mulcahy and the Project Children Charity to be honoured by his native Cork. A Civic Reception in Cork City Hall was first on the honorary event agenda, followed by a screening of the award-winning documentary, 'How to Defuse a Bomb – The Project Children Story'. The documentary was shown in the legendary Pav cinema on Patrick Street. The Saturday night event was also honouring fellow Corkonian, Maureen Forrest, Founder of The Hope Foundation. The event took place at The Rochestown Park Hotel in Douglas.

Both founders were being honored at the 23rd Biennial Reunion Banquet hosted by the County Cork Benevolent, Patriotic & Protection (B.P.&P) Association of New York. The Lord Mayor of Cork, Kieran McCarthy sang his speech as he specified that the story, he wanted to share was better sung than spoken. It is a song that resonates with Cork about their first immigrant, Annie Moore, coming through Ellis Island in 1892. The words of the song 'Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears' gathered momentum among friends and guests in the room where they joined the Lord Mayor singing the very fitting song.

Denis Mulcahy was born in Rockchapel, Cork and is one of the founders of the Project Children Charity. He emigrated to the United States in 1962 and joined the New York City Police Department in 1969. The charity was set up when Denis, his brother Pat, family and friends were horrified at the images and news reports of the conflict in Northern Ireland that was been broadcast live across the US news channels in the 1970s and 1980s. They wanted to help the children and families caught in the crossfire. They brought over 24,000 young Catholic and Protestant children to the US for a summer holiday break, away from the everyday violence and conflict of their homes in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. 

The charity is still supporting young people with a range of internship programmes and scholarships. Denis is now retired and has also received many awards for his work as an NYPD Bomb Squad Officer. He shared his honorary award with all his family and friends involved with the charity since it began. 

He said: “It was a two-way street really, both the Irish children and the US host families benefited from the programme.” 

Maureen Forrest originally from Mogeely in East Cork founded The Hope Foundation in 1999 to help the vulnerable children in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). Her contributions have been through education and training initiatives and establishing the Hope hospital as well as numerous other humanitarian services. Maureen has changed the lives of many children in India now grown up with a better education and like the charity name states – Hope for their future. 

Maureen retired earlier this year and is confident that the next generation will guide the Foundation to the next level while always staying aligned with their vision, which is - “A world where it should never hurt to be a child.” From a kitchen table in New York in 1975 and a walk through the streets of Kolkata, the link with Cork will always be there with these two incredible charities and extraordinary founders.