Disappearance of Philip Cairns - October 1986

In October 1986, in a Dublin suburb, Philip Cairns, a thirteen-year-old boy went missing. It was lunch time and Philip had left his new school, Coláiste Éanna, at 12.50pm and walked the short distance to his home at Ballyroan road, Rathfarnham.

The walk home usually took him less than 15 minutes. Philip arrived home at one o’clock. His grandmother had his lunch waiting for him. After lunch he had a few minutes to spare before heading back to school - so he did his homework and swapped his books for his afternoon classes. At 1.30, he gathered up his schoolbag and left his house to return to school.

That was the last his Gran, his Mother and Father, his brother and sisters ever saw of Philip.

Philip left his home in Ballyroan Road in Rathfarnham to return to Coláiste Éanna. But he never made it back to the school. Despite extensive investigations, which are ongoing, no trace of Philip has yet been found. Six days after Philip’s disappearance, his schoolbag was found in a laneway near the school. This laneway links Ann Devlin Road and Ann Devlin Drive. Some of Philip’s books were missing from the bag.

It is so important that anyone who knows how Philip’s bag came to be in the laneway makes contact.
 
Gardaí at Rathfarnham Garda Station  are investigating Telephone 01 6666500