RTE's 'The Phone Box Babies' reveals identity of three Irish people abandoned as babies

The Phone Box Babies is a gripping new documentary that reveals new insights into the lives and identities of three newborn babies abandoned in the 1960s in different parts of Ireland.

The shows airs on Wednesday 2 July, 9.35 pm on RTE One and RTE player.

The abandoned babies were discovered by random passersby in phone boxes, and in a car, without any identifying information or clue to their origins. 

David McBride, born in 1962, was left in a car in a Belfast driveway.

John Dowling, born in 1965, was found in a Drogheda phone box.

READ NEXT: 'We lost everything'- Students left homeless and injured amid tragic house fire

Helen Ward, born in 1968, was discovered in a Dundalk phone box.

"I don't know would she have survived the night"

The Phone Box Babies reveals new insights into the lives and identities of three newborn babies abandoned in the 1960s in different parts of Ireland. The babies were discovered by random passersby in phone boxes, and in a car,… pic.twitter.com/H7yobZwF1h

— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) June 30, 2025

Each baby was adopted and raised in different parts of Ireland and this new documentary uncovers details about the babies’ parents, where they came from, and why they were given up.

Fifty years later, as adults, they discover their connection to each other and embark on an emotional journey to uncover their identities.