The Boys Who Ran Away to New York: How Two Dublin Kids Fooled the World in 1985

Sep 28, 2025
6 min read

Collage of newspaper headlines about two boys running away from Dublin to NYC. Includes images of the boys and New York City skyline. Text: "Home After Jumbo Joyride".

On a mild afternoon in 1985, two boys from the Darndale housing estate in Dublin slipped out to play. Their mothers thought they’d be back within the hour. Dinner was nearly ready, and nothing in the world suggested they would do more than kick a football around the flats. But by the time the evening news rolled around, ten-year-old Keith Byrne and thirteen-year-old Noel Murray were no longer in Dublin. They weren’t even in Ireland. In fact, within a matter of days, the pair would cross three borders, trick airline security, and set foot on the streets of New York City, without passports, without tickets, and with nothing more than a pocketful of coins nicked from a charity fountain.

It was, by any measure, one of the most extraordinary childhood adventures ever told.

And the reason behind it all? According to Keith Byrne himself, it was simple:

“I wanted to see my favourite television star, B.A. Baracus, of The A-Team.”

Darndale in the 1980s: A Place to Dream Big

To understand the boys’ daring journey, it helps to picture their world. Darndale, on Dublin’s north side, was a housing estate built in the 1970s and 1980s with ambitious intentions but a reputation that quickly soured. Designed with a unique “Radburn” layout of cul-de-sacs and communal greens, it was meant to foster community spirit. Instead, it often created confusion, isolation, and a sense of being cut off from the wider city.

By the mid-1980s, unemployment was high, money was tight, and opportunities for kids seemed limited. Yet, like children everywhere, Keith and Noel had big imaginations. They grew up watching American television shows like The A-Team, Knight Rider, and Magnum, P.I. — worlds of fast cars, tough heroes, and glamorous adventures far removed from the grey Dublin streets.

When Keith’s mum told him, “Don’t go far, your dinner’s nearly ready,” he replied, “I won’t.” In a sense, he wasn’t lying. He didn’t go far — at least not at first.

The Journey Begins: Dart to Dún Laoghaire

Armed with nothing more than their bravado, the boys jumped on the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) train to Dún Laoghaire. At ten and thirteen, they were small enough to blend into crowds and young enough to be overlooked by ticket inspectors.

At the harbour, they pulled off their first real coup: sneaking aboard a ferry to Holyhead, Wales. To seasoned travellers, it might sound impossible, but in the mid-1980s, port security was minimal compared to today. A pair of scrappy Irish kids could easily disappear into the bustle of boarding passengers.

As the ferry left the Irish Sea behind, Keith and Noel were already hundreds of miles from home.

Across Britain on Luck Alone

Arriving in Holyhead, the boys faced a daunting task: crossing Britain with virtually no money. They didn’t let it stop them. Dodging ticket collectors, they jumped trains, made themselves invisible in crowded carriages, and somehow managed to avoid the attention of guards and police.

Eventually, their luck carried them to London. For most children, this might have been the end of the line. London was enormous, alien, and overwhelming. But Keith and Noel weren’t done. Their sights were set even further afield.

Heathrow: Slipping Through Security

The fact that the boys made it as far as Heathrow Airport still baffles many. Airports were considered secure even in the 1980s, but compared to the post-9/11 world of biometric checks and scanners, procedures were surprisingly lax.

By sheer cheek, they approached a traveller and asked where his flight was going. “New York,” he said. That was all they needed to hear.

When questioned by airline staff, they explained that their parents were behind them in the queue. Incredibly, that explanation was enough. They were waved through. No one asked for passports, no one checked their ages, and no one verified their story.

This was only two months after the catastrophic bombing of Air India Flight 182, which exploded off the coast of Ireland in June 1985, killing all 329 people on board. Aviation authorities around the world were meant to be on high alert. Yet two boys from Dublin managed to walk into Heathrow and board an international Air India flight without tickets or identification.

“The plane was only half full so no one came near us,” Keith later recalled.

The Flight: Curry and James Bond

Once on board, the fantasy continued. The boys were offered meals — spicy Indian curry — which proved far too hot for Keith’s young palate. Instead, he turned his attention to the in-flight entertainment, which featured the latest James Bond film, A View to a Kill.

It must have felt surreal. Barely 48 hours earlier, they were playing in Darndale. Now, they were hurtling across the Atlantic, living out an adventure fit for the movies.

New York, New York

When the plane touched down at JFK, Keith and Noel were still undetected. The adventure could, in theory, have continued. But their luck ran out thanks to their own innocence.

They walked up to a policeman and asked for directions “into town.” That was all it took. The officer quickly realised something was wrong. Two unaccompanied children with thick Dublin accents, no luggage, and no parents weren’t just lost, they were international stowaways.

Black and white photo of a woman and boy walking. The woman wears a white coat, holds her chin. The boy carries a rolled newspaper. They're in a crowd.

The VIP Treatment

Authorities reacted swiftly, but not unkindly. Far from being treated as criminals, Keith and Noel became celebrities. They were taken to a police station and then placed in a hotel suite under constant guard.

“There was BLTs, chips, everything, fed us like lords. We loved it,” Keith remembered.

For two boys from Darndale, the New York hotel stay was as dazzling as any American TV show.

Media Frenzy

The press couldn’t get enough of the story. The New York tabloids splashed the boys across their front pages. Headlines marvelled at how two children had evaded security across three countries. Their charm and audacity made them instant sensations.

In Ireland, the story was received with a mixture of shock and amusement. Parents across the country shook their heads in disbelief while secretly admiring the boys’ daring. Authorities, on the other hand, had some serious questions to answer.

Newspaper headlines detail Dublin boys as stowaways on a US flight. Prominent text includes "Home After Jumbo Joyride" and "Air India inquiry."

Back Home: From Heroes to Headlines

When Keith and Noel were returned home, they were no longer anonymous kids from Darndale. They were household names. Interviews, documentaries, and newspaper features followed them for years afterwards.

Keith, reflecting as an adult, always emphasised the innocence of their plan. There was no grand scheme, no rebellion against authority, just a child’s dream of meeting his television hero, B.A. Baracus.

“We just wanted to go and see B.A. Baracus. That was it.”

Could It Happen Today?

Looking back, the story feels almost impossible. With today’s levels of surveillance — CCTV cameras, biometric passports, electronic ticketing, and tightened border controls — it is unthinkable that two children could repeat Keith and Noel’s journey.

Modern airports track every passenger, ferries use barcoded boarding passes, and train travel is closely monitored. Even at ten and thirteen, the boys would have been flagged long before reaching Heathrow.

But in 1985, the world was different. Children roamed their neighbourhoods freely, often disappearing for hours without parental panic. Travel systems relied heavily on human judgment, and two cheeky kids with quick answers could slip through the cracks.

Why the Story Still Captivates

So why does this tale still capture our imagination nearly four decades later? Perhaps because it embodies the essence of childhood: boldness without fear, imagination without limits.

Keith and Noel weren’t trying to change the world. They just wanted an adventure. In doing so, they highlighted both the innocence of youth and the fallibility of adult systems meant to protect us.

Their story is also a time capsule, reminding us of an era when the world felt bigger, looser, and less tightly controlled. Today’s children grow up in a landscape of smartphones, GPS tracking, and helicopter parenting. The idea of two kids casually hopping on a ferry to another country belongs firmly to another time.

Legacy of a Daring Escape

Though Keith and Noel eventually faded back into ordinary life, their 1985 escapade remains one of Ireland’s most astonishing true stories. It has been revisited in documentaries, remembered fondly in newspaper columns, and retold by Keith himself in interviews.

What started with a simple promise, “I won’t go far”, turned into a journey that spanned continents and captivated the world.

And even though they never got to meet B.A. Baracus, for a brief, shining moment, Keith Byrne and Noel Murray lived out an adventure greater than anything scripted on television.