Disappearance of Philip Cairns

Philip Cairns (born 1 September 1973) is an Irish child who disappeared while walking back to school in South Dublin from his home in Ballyroan on 23 October 1986. A large-scale investigation was carried out, but no trace of Cairns has ever been found. His disappearance is now treated as a high-profile child murder case. It remains one of the most high-profile disappearances in recent Irish history.

Over 400 sightings were reported in the aftermath of the boy's disappearance. In one, Philip was reportedly seen in Manchester in the United Kingdom after his disappearance.

Several theories were reported by the media, most of which were discounted by investigators. These have ranged from death by accident to Philip being taken by extremists such as paedophiles and Satanists. A special Mass was held to mark the occasion. A further appeal for information was launched following the twenty-first anniversary of Philip's disappearance in 2007, when it emerged that over 50 people had approached investigators individually and provided new lines of inquiry. That month saw a reconstruction of Philip's typical school route being broadcast on RTÉ One's Crimecall television series and the Irish Crimestoppers Trust offering a €10,000 reward for information.

In May 2009, investigators searched a stretch of private, wooded south Dublin land near a golf club on the M50 motorway. On 6 May, the area was sealed off and vegetation cleared. A second search was carried out around 50 metres away later that month. An elderly woman from Dublin told Gardaí that Cairns was murdered and later buried at both sites. She said that a man she was in a relationship with some time before confessed to killing Philip. Despite the involvement of geophysicists, the searches both proved to be a failure. The man is now a pensioner who lives in Rathfarnham, and cannot be charged due to lack of evidence.

2016 investigation In May 2016 a woman contacted Gardaí to tell them that she suspected former disk jockey and convicted paedophile Eamonn Cooke killed Cairns. She claimed that she witnessed Cooke strike Cairns with a blunt implement at the Radio Dublin studios in Inchicore.

Gardaí questioned Cooke and he reportedly confirmed that he knew Phillip, inter alia, but did not reveal the location of Philip's body. Gardaí also sought to identify two people who may have left Philips' schoolbag in the laneway.

Family Philip's mother was Alice Cairns (née Brennan), who came originally from Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, and his father was Philip Cairns, Snr Philip has four sisters, Mary, Sandra, Helen and Suzanne.

His mother Alice, died on the 11 November 2025.

Impact The disappearance of Philip Cairns affected the entire country. The case was particularly unusual because it happened in the early afternoon and prompted parents to fear for the safety of their children, even in broad daylight.