The posthumous pardons of two Kerry men hanged in the 1800s have been approved.
Sylvester Poff and James Barrett were hanged over 140 years ago after being convicted of murder.
The Castleisland District Heritage group has maintained the two men were innocent, and have led the campaign to get them pardoned.
Sylvester Poff and James Barrett were hanged in 1883, after being convicted of the murder of Thomas Browne at his farm in Dromultan.
The Castleisland District Heritage group believes both men were victims of a miscarriage of justice, and were wrongly convicted.
The group has claimed it has compelling evidence to prove Mr Poff and Mr Barrett were innocent, and in December 2021, it submitted a detailed application for posthumous Presidential pardons for the two men.
It followed the successful campaign which saw Cordal man John Twiss granted a posthumous pardon by President Michael D Higgins in 2021; John Twiss was hanged in 1895 after being wrongly convicted of murder.
An internal review within the Department of Justice, and another review by an independent expert in trial law, were both completed late last year.
Radio Kerry can now confirm the pardons have been approved, marking the end of a six-year campaign by the Castleisland District Heritage group and a 140-year wait for the men’s families.
Group chairman John Roche says they are delighted the approval went through today, and thanked Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin for his hard work on it.
