On Friday Oct 9th, the School Community were honoured to welcome Mr.Denis Mulcahy from New York , one of the founding members of Project Ireland. Denis was accompanied by two of his Team, Skibbereen Native, Ms. Linda Croston and Ms. Catherine Flood a native of County Monaghan. They were in the School to show a screening of the documentary about the Project, “How to diffuse a bomb, the Project Ireland Story and to present one of the first copies of the book, “Project Children- A Legacy”.
Project Children was a peace initiative set up by Denis and his brother Pat in 1975 to bring children from Northern Ireland to the USA for the Summer. It started with 6 children who were put up with New York host families. Fundraising was done throughout the Irish American Clubs to raise money for their flights. It grew into a national movement and by 1995 over 21000 children were given a summer holiday away from the rioting, bombings and killings of the Northern Irish Troubles. Both Catholic and Protestant, Nationalist and Unionist Children were housed together and this helped break down prejudice and stereotype. Former President Bill Clinton acknowledged that the Project Children movement was a vital part of the peace process. Pat himself was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The School Community paid tribute to Pat and to Ms. Linda Croston for bringing the team to Skibbereen. A tribute was also paid to the late Councillor Mr. Joe Carroll who was a big supporter of the Project. Many thanks to the Students of SCS who were so attentive and respectful throughout the screening and questions and answers session. Many thanks also to the Staff of SCS who helped out on the day.