I start my Out&About with a very sad note on a great gentleman, Timothy Murray who passed away after a tragic accident on the quays of New York City.
The Sandy Hook ship pilot died following a fall while boarding a tanker arriving at the Port of New York and New Jersey on Wednesday. According to a press statement, he died from injuries sustained after falling from a pilot ladder.
Moving on to better news. I know what you’re saying… that is that I deserve it, yes, a holiday and that is what I did. I headed up to The Waterstone Inn (62 Sterling Road, Greenwood Lake, NY 10925), an Irish gem that is located in Greenwood Lake, New York. Now you might ask, where is that? Well it’s about 55 miles from New York City in a drive that is pleasant enough to do. I went there with my wife Patti, daughter Christine and Kevin Coyne, my daughter’s boyfriend from Youghal, County Cork. The owner of The Waterstone Inn is none other than Denis Mulcahy from Rockchapel, County Cork and his lovely family. Denis is married to the former Miriam O’Rourke, a native of County Leitrim. They have four children: Denis Jr., a partner with Deloitte and Touche, Maureen, a Lieutenant with Manhattan Detectives, Sean, also with the NYPD Bomb Squad, and Tara, a Court Officer in Manhattan. They have eight grandchildren, Tara-Lynne, Denise, Seana, Kaitlyn, Denis III, Lindsay, Sean, and Jake.
Denis was one of the founders of Project Children in 1975. Throughout the 40 years of the program over 22,000 young Catholics and Protestant children traveled to the US for summer holiday respite from the everyday violence and strife of their homeland. The program continues for the young adults in the intern program. The intern program is both cross community and cross border, and gives them the opportunity to work together beginning each summer with a week working together at Habitat for Humanity in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
In 1975 Denis was instrumental in founding the Greenwood Lake Gaelic Society and served as its first President. In 1987, Denis was awarded the Medal of Valor by the NYCPD for the extremely dangerous task of diffusing a bomb. Also, in 1987 Denis was honored with the Bene Merenti Award from his Holiness Pope John Paul II. He also received the Private Sector Initiative Commendation from President Ronald Reagan, as well as the Cuchulainn Award from the Sacred Heart Club of County Armagh.
He was honored by the County Cork BPP Association in March 1988, and was Irish Man of the Year in 1988 for the Emerald Golf Society. In November of 1989, he was awarded the People of the Year Award in Dublin, Ireland. Cardinal John O’Connor awarded the Cardinal Cooke Right to Life to Denis in 1991. In 1993, Ireland’s President Mary Robinson presented him with the Irish Voice’s Community Person of the Year Award. He was also nominated for two consecutive years for the very prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for all his work for the children of Northern Ireland.
Denis has received Honorary Doctorate degrees from Mount Saint Mary College and Holy Family University. In 2016 Denis received the title of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. In 2017 at the NY State AOH Convention Denis received the Commodore John Barry medal. In 2017 he also received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad, presented to him personally by the President of Ireland Michael J. Higgins.
We are now talking Irish royalty and I do mean that in a very proud way as I had the pleasure to be in his company for three days and it was spectacular as he has so much going on and he gave us his time. We got to meet all his family and believe me they could not do enough for us and I’m so sure that if you go there (and I recommend it so much to you) that they would do the same for you. I am telling to go there you will not be disappointed because it’s so beautiful that we are going back sooner than later.
The Waterstone Inn is right on the lakefront with lodging at its best. The Waterstone Inn infuses Greenwood Lake history, nautical vintage décor and with local comfort, food into a bed and breakfast experience like no other, just like home. When you plan to go there which I advise you have lots of choices and yes, The Waterstone Inn will help you whether you want to hike, kayak, canoe, paddleboard, swim, or even go rowing. Nearby you can dine at the waterfront restaurants that will not disappoint. I am so excited to bring you all this holiday information because it is everything that you want when you cannot head home to Ireland this year.
For availability and reservations, contact the innkeeper at (845) 477-3535, email www.innkeeper@waterstoneinn.com or visit www.waterstoneinn.com.
Now to let you in on a little article The Irish Examiner USA did on Denis back in 2008 that I am so proud of is that Project Children was established by Cork native Denis and his brother Pat in 1975 and has given kids from Northern Ireland the chance to spend part of their summer in America. Having expanded to university students over the past number of years, around 22,000 young people have benefited from the scheme. The students are given the chance to live and work in the USA, gaining work as well as life experience. Mulcahy is so modest about his achievements but is not short of praise from host families, coordinators, friends and the interns themselves. His interest in each and every child is astounding; he has affected the lives of many in a very positive way. I have so much more to say about this man that I am going to let you into all the achievement that this man has done with no fuss. I had privilege of being in his company for three days and that of his family anf it still has not sunk in. I have watched him being so active in doing so much work on different projects with the inn even after he was supposed to be retired from all that he has done in the past that I don’t think he knows the meaning of retirement. I should call him the quiet man because he does it so easily, but I won’t because that is just his nature and I am just going to say Denis Mulcahy you are the man and thank you so much for been a friend.
The Irish Repertory Theatre has let us know that while their Online Summer Season may be over, they are hard at work preparing the Digital Fall Season! In the meantime, the first summer season production, The Gifts You Gave to the Dark is available on demand until October 31 – don’t miss this World Premiere digital work. This “sobering and satisfying” (The Epoch Times) production “offers an unflinching look at the COVID-19 outbreak” with an “excellent” cast of Séan McGinley, Tony Award winner Marie Mullen, and Marty Rea. The Gifts You Gave to the Dark is free to view, but a $10 donation is suggested for those who can afford to give. For more information the staff of Irish Repertory Theatre is currently working remotely, but their Box Office can still be accessed by phone from Monday through Saturday from noon to 6pm and Sunday from noon to 5pm at (212) 727-2737 or visit www.Irishrep.org.
That what I have for you this week and I will see you all again WHEN I am Out&About…