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THE MOTHER OF missing schoolboy Philip Cairns, who disappeared nearly forty years ago, has died.
Philip Cairns was 13 years old when he went missing on the afternoon of 23 October 1986. He left his new school, Coláiste Éanna, at 12.50pm and made the short journey to his home at Ballyroan Road, Rathfarnham in Dublin. Forty minutes later, he picked up his bag and left the family home to return to school. He was never seen again.
His mother Alice, of Ballyroan in Dublin, and formerly of Castlecomer in Kilkenny, died “suddenly but peacefully” on Tuesday.
She was predeceased by her husband Philip and was the “cherished mother” of Mary, Sandra, Helen, Suzanne, Philip and Eoin.
Mrs Cairns is also survived by her six grandchildren, six siblings, extended family and friends.
In 2016, Mrs Cairns told RTÉ Radio that she had only started to accept in the last year or two, since her husband Philip died, that her son would not be coming back.
She recalled that on the day her son went missing, she returned home to Rathfarnham in Dublin at 6.30pm. Philip ate lunch at home that day but hadn’t made it back to school afterwards.
“I went to his friends’ houses, they said he didn’t come home with them. My husband was not too fussed at first. He thought he was just delayed, it wasn’t until later that he became worried.”
She said she had clung to the hope that Philip would return for decades.
“It’s only in the last year or two that I have come to terms that he won’t be coming back,” she said. “It was all the time on my mind. For a long time we didn’t talk about him, it was too painful. Life had to go on with five other children.
“I always hoped to hear from someone somewhere. My husband was always waiting and hoping and gave up much quicker than I did. But he held out hope for years.
“Philip was quiet, he never gave any trouble. He had a good sense of humour, he played football. He was a normal little boy. He had made his confirmation just months before. A lot of people recognise him from that photograph. It’s on my phone.”
Mrs Cairns said that Philip was thrilled to have started in secondary school. She stated that he had been had been robbed of his future and his family was robbed of him.
She said that she tried not to think too much about the person who took him as she could waste her life doing that.
“I just focus on Philip. I wonder what he’d be doing now,” she said. “It’s very hard to know how there can be a happy ending.”
In 2020, the Cairns family took part in an RTÉ Scannal documentary. The eldest sister of Philip Cairns appealed for information to unlock the truth of what happened to her brother.
Mary Cairns said Philip was a kind and thoughtful child who got on with everyone.
“I would feel that he is dead, and I mean your life moves forward in some aspects…but then there is just this part of our life that has stood still.
“We would really like to be able to bring Philip home, give him a burial.”
At the time of his disappearance, Philip was 5’2” in height, with short black hair. When last seen, he was wearing his Coláiste Éanna school uniform, a grey jacket with black shoulder corners, grey school trousers, grey shirt and school pullover.
Six days after he went missing, his schoolbag was located in a lane near his school. Some of his books were missing from the bag.
Anyone with information on the case should contact Rathfarnham Garda station on 01 666 6500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.
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