Murder of Raonaid Murray

Who is Murder of Raonaid Murray?

Raonaid Murray was an Irish murder victim, stabbed to death at the age of 17 in the early hours of Saturday morning, 4 September 1999. As of September 2009, ten years after the murder, this case remains unsolved. The murder weapon has not been located either. Each year her family and the Garda Síochána issue new appeals for fresh information. In 2009, a tribute website was set up but was targeted by vandals and naysayers who posted upsetting messages.

By 2008, Raonaid was said to have "achieved iconic status", according to Kim Bielenberg of the Irish Independent, who remarked in one article that her image was still to be seen on the front pages of Ireland's newspapers on a regular basis. The case has been compared in the media to other unsolved incidents such as the disappearance of schoolboy Philip Cairns in 1986. However, the high-profile nature of this case has been criticised by those who believe Raonaid's higher class and social status has made her death more appealing to the reporting media to the detriment of other murders.