LISTEN: Honoring Project Children with Catherine Flood and Linda Croston

In 1975, three Catholic and three Protestant children from Northern Ireland stepped off a plane at JFK for a summer away from The Troubles. 50 years later, their stories and the stories of some of the thousands of children who followed are the focus of a new book: "Project Children: The Legacy" by Derry author Jane Buckley.

Launching Tuesday, October 13 at the Monaghan Peace Campus, the book is the centerpiece of the conversation Irish Stew co-hosts John and Martin had with Catherine Flood and Linda Croston, the volunteer forces-of-nature behind Project Children's 50th anniversary celebration in County Monaghan last October and the upcoming book launch. 

Catherine, from Co Monaghan, and Linda, from West Cork, were already a seasoned team, running Croston Flood, a highly regarded recruiting, consulting, and event management firm working across the New York tri-state area.

The Project Children 50th Anniversary celebration last October brought more than 350 guests to Monaghan for 11 events over five days, which included a parade featuring the NYPD Pipes and Drums and a 750-person gala. It also marked the transatlantic move of the Project Children archive to the Monaghan Peace Campus, where the Project Children Stories exhibition now has a permanent home.

The heartwarming saga began with Denis Mulcahy, a Cork native and decorated NYPD bomb squad detective. He and his brother Pat believed that Catholic and Protestant kids who spent a summer together would grow up less likely to fight. More than 23,000 children went on to stay with 16,000 host families in 22 states.

"You're driven by passion. And sometimes it's a bit crazy, and there's not enough hours in the day, but somehow it gets done," Catherine says.

"Project Children: The Legacy" tells the program's story in the voices of the children, host families, donors, and volunteers who lived it. Ironically, Buckley applied to Project Children as a child and was never picked, so this book is her way of finally taking part in the grassroots peace project.

"This book really is a voice for everyone that has been part of the program," Linda says.

The official launch of "Project Children: The Legacy" will be Tuesday, October 13, from 7 to 9 PM at the Monaghan Peace Campus, featuring author Jane Buckley and Project Children guiding light Denis Mulcahy, special guests from the NYPD where Denis once served, and live music, all streamed throughout the Peace Campus. Launch day will be preceded by a Community Day on Saturday, October 10, and launch festivities continue in Belfast on October 14 and Derry on October 15. 

You can listen to Catherine Flood and Linda Croston on The Irish Stew Podcast here:

Next on Irish Stew, a swinging conversation with Irish jazz singer Austin O’Brien, coming next week.

For more information, visit IrishStewPodcast.com. You can listen to "The Irish Stew Podcast" wherever you get your podcasts.