Irish president pardons two men executed in 1883

Two men who were executed more than 140 years ago have been pardoned by the president of Ireland.

On Wednesday, Michael D Higgins signed a pardon for Sylvester Poff, 35, and James Barrett, 21, for the murder of Thomas Browne in County Kerry in 1882.

During a ceremony at Arás an Uachtaráin (the presidential residence), attended by descendants of the two men, he said: "While we cannot undo what happened, we do have the power to acknowledge that what happened to Sylvester Poff and James Barrett was a great wrong.

"I am pleased to be able to formally grant a presidential pardon to each of the men today, and to at least set the record straight."

"I hope that by doing so will bring a sense of closure to their families following almost 142 years."

Mr Poff and Mr Barrett, who were cousins, were hanged at Tralee Gaol in January 1883 after being found guilty of murdering Thomas Browne on his farm in Dromulton three months earlier.

In April 2024, after an expert review, the Department of Justice recommended that Mr Poff and Mr Barrett receive a posthumous presidential pardon.

University College Dublin legal expert Dr Niamh Howlin, who carried out the review, found that the convictions were unsafe as they were inconsistent with the standards of the 1880s.

Dr Howlin agreed a modern-day court would not convict based on the evidence presented in 1882.

Mr Browne was murdered while working in one of his fields in Dromulton, near Scartaglin.

A neighbour saw two men dressed in dark coats entering the field before Mr Browne was shot several times.

Although Mr Poff and Mr Barrett did not match the descriptions of the assailants, they were in the area at the time of the murder and were arrested after the neighbour's statement.

They were tried before two special juries in County Cork after the first jury could not reach a verdict.

Following the second trial they were convicted of murder and despite their pleas for mercy to the lord lieutenant they were executed.

Local historian Michael O’Donoghue began researching the case when he discovered the story of Mr Poff and Mr Bartlett in Tralee Library.

When Mr O'Donoghue died in 2008, his papers were placed in storage.

In 2014 Johnny Roche and Janet Murphy of the Castleisland District Heritage Group took on his work, developed the research and realised a pardon was a possibility.

Throughout the history of the Irish state, posthumous presidential pardons are an extremely rare occurrence and this is the fourth occasion when a historical conviction has been overturned.