Holding(s) in Company

Cairn Energy PLC
17 January 2005


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                                        17 January 2005

                           CAIRN ENERGY PLC ('Cairn')

   Notification of Shareholding - Companies Act 1985 ss.198-202 (as amended)

Cairn was notified on 14 January 2005 by Legal & General Group plc on behalf of
itself and its subsidiaries that they  had an interest in 6,387,170 ordinary
shares of 10 pence each in Cairn in aggregate, representing approximately 4.02%
of Cairn's current issued ordinary share capital.

The registered shareholders to which this notification relates and the number of
shares held by the registered holders  at the date of notification is as
follows:

Material Interest                                  Number of       Percentage
                                                   Shares

HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 914945    57,293
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 775237    16,500
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 942229    107,000
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 942217    128,000
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 942205    140,000
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 942187    80,000
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 775245    638,303
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 130007    20,000
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 357206    4,477,513
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 866197    28,200
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 904332    22,100
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 916681    8,100
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 361602    7,500
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 282605    331,736
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 360509    237,178
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 766793    41,380
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 824434    3,700
HSBC Global Custody Nominee (UK) Ltd A/C 924422    42,667

                                    
TOTAL                                              6,387,170           4.02%

                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange