Denis Mulcahy: A Lifetime of Service and Peace

Protecting Others: A Career in Service

Denis’ path to serving others began in the Army National Guard, where a paperwork error redirected him from the artillery unit to bomb disposal and demolition. It was a twist of fate that shaped the rest of his career. After his military service, he joined the New York Police Department (NYPD), spending 34 years on the force, 20 of them with the Bomb Squad. His work ranged from securing high-profile events to investigating threats across New York City. “You could sit around for hours, and then you’d need to do something, go to have dinner, and you get called,” Denis said. “They wanted you there yesterday.”

As Denis neared the end of his NYPD career, he began working part-time with (what is now) Allied Universal Enhanced Protection Services. What started as a side job screening packages at the New York Stock Exchange grew into a 25-year career that took him to high-profile locations like Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden. “It used to be that if there was a threat or suspicious package, you had to evacuate and wait for the Bomb Squad,” Denis explained. “We eliminated all these evacuations by having a team on site.”

Project Children: Building Bridges of Peace

While Denis built a career focused on protecting others, his greatest legacy is bringing people together. In 1975, horrified by the violence consuming Northern Ireland during The Troubles, Denis and his brother Patrick launched Project Children. The nonprofit aimed to break the cycle of violence in Northern Ireland by bringing Catholic and Protestant children to the U.S. to spend summers with host families. The goal was simple but powerful: showing children they had more in common than they realized. 

“It was a simple program,” Denis said. “Just get them out of there for the summer. Let them see there was another way of life than they saw there daily.”

What began with bringing six children to stay with host families in Greenwood Lake, New York, grew into a program that has brought more than 23,000 children to the U.S. over nearly five decades. The project also expanded to offer internships for university students, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in politics, business, and broadcasting.

Denis’ efforts earned him two Nobel Peace Prize nominations, the Presidential Distinguished Service Award, and an invitation to join President Bill Clinton on his historic trip to Northern Ireland to support the peace process. Despite the accolades, Denis remains humble about his role. “I had a lot of help,” he said. “It was the families the children lived with who had the biggest impact on them.”
 

Legacy and Impact

Even as he quietly continued his work with Project Children, Denis remained a dedicated member of the Allied Universal team. His decades-long career embodies the company’s core value of being “There for You,” whether helping to safeguard communities or fostering peace across continents.

Denis’ life’s work is now being preserved through the Monaghan Peace Campus, where Project Children’s legacy will live on in a museum and library honoring the program’s host families and participants. As he looks back on decades of service, Denis remains most proud of the opportunities the program created for the children of Northern Ireland. “People said these kids would never amount to anything, that we shouldn’t bother,” he said. “They couldn’t be more wrong. When they were given an opportunity, they did well.”

From defusing bombs to defusing decades of conflict, Denis Mulcahy’s life stands as a testament to the power of compassion, courage, and quiet heroism. Whether through his work with Allied Universal or Project Children, he has shown that one person — driven by empathy and a belief in a better world — can truly make a difference.