Father Campbell’s life has been one of tireless service to Ireland and her people. A native of Belfast, he was well known in Catholic and nationalist circles in the North. He served on the Cameron Commission which investigated the causes of the Troubles after the civil rights march in 1968 and brought about the disbanding of the notorious B-specials

Father Campbell studied at Queen’s University and at St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth. He then began life as a teacher of Classics, he said. Afterwards, he worked as a lecturer in Education in St. Joseph’s Teacher Training College and then as director of the Institute of Education in Queen’s University, Belfast.

In 1990, Father Campbell founded Youthlink, an ecumenical organization responsible for training youth workers from the four main churches in Northern Ireland (Catholic, Church of Ireland, Presbyterian and Methodist) and the development of inter-church youth work in Northern Ireland.

In 1992, Father Campbell came to the U.S. to work for Irish immigrants in New York. Since 1993, he has been the director of the Irish Apostolate in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. The purpose of the Apostolate is to meet the pastoral needs of Irish immigrants in New York. Through a network of staff and volunteers, the Apostolate offers Irish immigrants every possible support, realizing that the needs of the Irish community here are a reflection of the problems and issues back home.