Telly Review: The Disappearance of Mary Boyle is a hard but necessary watch

Donegal schoolgirl Mary Boyle who disappeared without trace in March 1977. Pic: Eoin McGarvey

Charlie Boyle’s hair went grey overnight, when his 6-year-old daughter Mary disappeared in rural Donegal in 1977, on a visit to her grandparents. 

She remains missing today, with no clear idea of what happened to her.

It’s a nightmare. Forget about ghouls or goblins or the apocalypse — a child who disappears into thin air is the ultimate terror for any family.

It’s detailed in Scannal: The Disappearance of Mary Boyle (RTE One and RTE Player). 

It’s obviously a hard watch but there is a purpose here, as her mother Ann and half-twin (also Ann) talk about the events of that day, and their attempts to keep the case alive so they can finally learn what happened to Mary.

The story is well told with the two Anns taking the lead. You admire their courage. 

The mother Ann talks about the difficulty of even getting out of bed the days after Mary disappeared, and then the horror of driving back from the grandparents' house to her own house, without her little girl. 

Even today she says she believes that someone took Mary and treated her well, it’s the only way she can cope.

Mary’s half-twin Ann is matter-of-factly sad about her loss, saying she was the more outgoing of the two sisters, but they were extremely close. 

She says she talks to her twin regularly, asking her for help in different aspects of her life.

The home of the grandparents of missing Mary Boyle at Cashelard outside of Ballyshannon in Donegal in 1977. Pic: Trevor McBride

The Scannal series is a great vehicle for emotional stories. A lot of it is in Irish, so most of us have to watch to get the subtitles. 

The result is you’re all in, there’s no scrolling through TikTok with this on in the background, you either watch it or you don’t.

The case remains open today. 

There have been various suspects through the years, including notorious child-killer Robert Black, who spent time in Donegal, along with a convicted paedophile who was brought in for questioning. 

A local man was also brought in for questioning, he was considered by local Gardai to be the culprit, but there was no evidence and he didn’t confess.

So the torment continues. Mother and daughter Ann fell out over whether there should be an inquiry, but are back on speaking terms now. 

New evidence has been uncovered down the years, but the Gardaí are still waiting for someone to help them solve the puzzle of Mary Boyle, and give the family some closure. 

For now, her mother is left with the memory of her little girl giving her a big kiss that day, “because she forgot to give me one when she woke up.” 

It was the final kiss.

• Anyone with information about Mary Boyle’s disappearance can contact Ballyshannon Garda Station on 071-9858530.