The case of missing Mary Boyle will be the focus of the next Scannal documentary on Tuesday next on RTÉ One television.
The four part popular social history series looks back at events which shocked, gripped or consumed the nation.
The programmes piecing together archive, analysis and first-hand testimony to reflect, with the benefit of hindsight, on those events and examine how they impacted the people involved, and wider society.
In this documentary, the Scannal team look at Ireland’s longest missing person case.
In the documentary, Mary’s heartbroken mother Ann reveals the final words she said to her daughter.
“And just before dinner time Mary said to me, ‘Mum I forgot to kiss you this morning’, and she threw her arms around me and gave me a kiss. Little did I know that it was the last one,” reveals Ann.
It is now 46 years ago since 6-year-old Mary Boyle vanished from her grandparents’ house in Cashelard outside Ballyshannon.
Despite decades of searching and investigations, no trace of the little girl has ever been found. She is Ireland’s longest-missing child.
In the second episode of the current series of Scannal, Mary’s mother and sister reflect on the disappearance of a beloved daughter and sister and the impact it has had, and continues to have, on the family.
Mary’s disappearance resulted in one of the largest searches ever seen in Ireland. Hundreds of local people, soldiers, Gardaí and divers searched for Mary for weeks, but not a single trace was ever found of the little girl. For decades there have been rumours and insinuation about what might have happened to little Mary, but 46 years later, her family is still looking for answers.
In this episode of Scannal, Mary’s twin sister, Ann Doherty, and mother, Ann Boyle, speak about the shock of her disappearance, the heartache of not knowing what happened to her and their constant hope of one day finding Mary.
Ann Doherty, Mary’s sister says “If someone has any information at all, they may think it is of no importance, but it could be the final piece of the jigsaw that we need to find Mary’s body and for them to put an end to this torture for my family.”
Anyone with information about Mary Boyle’s disappearance can contact Ballyshannon Garda station on – 0719858530.
The four-part series featuring Mary’s disappearance will be broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player on Tuesday night at 7pm.
