From farmers market to peace across an ocean

Every once in a while, a few determined people change the course of countless lives. That belief — that individuals can make a difference — is what forever linked Lakeside Farmers Market vendor John Cheevers with Denis Mulcahy, founder of Project Children and first president of the Greenwood Lake Gaelic Society. Their connection, born 50 years ago in the wake of turmoil in Northern Ireland, continues to ripple outward through generations.

In the early 1970s, Mulcahy and his brother Patrick, both members of the NYPD and natives of County Cork, were moved by the daily news of sectarian violence at home.

“We reasoned that if Protestant and Catholic children could spend time together in an environment that was not toxic with war,” Mulcahy said, “they would be less likely as adults to hurl bombs at each other.” From that conviction, Project Children was born.

That first summer in 1975, six children from Northern Ireland — three Protestant and three Catholic — crossed the Atlantic to spend a peaceful summer in New York State. The very first to arrive in Greenwood Lake was a young boy named John Cheevers.

Today, Cheevers is known locally for representing a popular bakery, Shannon’s Eyes on the Pies, a full-time vendor at the Lakeside Farmers Market. But long before he was known for his partner Shannon’s sweet and savory creations, he was part of something profoundly transformative — a child ambassador of peace, welcomed by American families who believed in the power of shared humanity.

“Project Children changed my life,” Cheevers said. “At the time I was 7 years old and in our school yard I had a rocket propelled grenade fired right over my head from a five-story building next to our school. Just to come here and for six weeks not to have to worry about what’s around the next corner and if I am going to be attacked. Just that piece of mind was something that my friends and I had dreamed of — we never expected to be able to avoid that environment.”

Cheevers will return to Ireland to join commemorative celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of Project Children. The milestone, honored by a new partnership with Monaghan County Council and the Peace Campus in Monaghan Town, celebrates the program’s enduring message: peace begins in the hearts of children.

Over four decades, Project Children brought more than 23,000 Protestant and Catholic youth to the United States, hosted by over 16,000 families in 22 states. What began as one summer of hope in Greenwood Lake grew into a movement for peace that spanned oceans and generations.

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 Cheevers himself. (The other lad, Kevin Brady, grew up to become a journalist and eventually moved back to Ireland).

This month, new trees will be planted in Cork, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Belfast, alongside screenings of “How to Defuse a Bomb – The Project Children Story,” the acclaimed 2016 documentary that captures how one simple act of compassion grew into a global testament to reconciliation. For his work, Mulcahy received the title of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II in 2016; the N.Y. State AOH Convention’s Commodore John Barry medal; the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad, personally by the President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins; the Dr. Eoin McKiernan Award from the Irish American Cultural Institute; and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Award in Louisville Kentucky, the highest recognition bestowed by the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

For John Cheevers, that story began in Greenwood Lake — and it continues today, every time he shares a smile, a story, or a pie at the Lakeside Farmers Market.

“Peace,” he said, “isn’t just an agreement. It’s a relationship — something you keep alive every day.”