Sylvester Poff and James Barrett were convicted of the murder of Thomas Browne in October 1882 and executed in January 1883.

Research by Dr Niamh Howlin of UCD Sutherland School of Law highlighted how the convictions took place in a politically-charged atmosphere during the Land War and following the Phoenix Park murders in May 1882.

She concluded that the pair were convicted on the basis of a trial featuring a “packed jury”, evidential deficiencies including conflicting witness testimony, no motive and investigative failures. There was no direct evidence, only circumstantial and contradictory evidence of one witness.

On the basis of Dr Howlin’s report, which was presented to ministers in April, the government agreed to recommend to the president that he grant a presidential pardon.

President Michael D. Higgins signed the pardons at an event in Áras an Uachtaráin yesterday afternoon, which was attended by social protection minister Heather Humphreys as well as relatives of both men and representatives of the Castleisland District Heritage Group.

President Higgins said: “The case of Sylvester Poff and James Barrett has been one of long standing concern for the people of Kerry. As Dr Niamh Howlin’s report has found, there was a strong local belief in the innocence of Poff and Barrett, both before and after their execution.

“The newspaper United Ireland reported that ‘From one end of the county to the other the strongest belief prevails that they were guiltless.’ This was also evident in the memorials submitted to the Lord Lieutenant from bodies including the Tralee Town Commissioners, the Tralee Poor Law Guardians, the Killarney Town Commissioners and the Listowel Town Commissioners before the executions seeking to have their sentences commuted.

“While we at this remove 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 my doing so will bring a sense of closure to their families following almost 142 years.

“I commend the families of both men and the members of the Castleisland District Heritage Group for their efforts to bring their case to public attention and their help in bringing the process of obtaining a pardon to fruition.” 

The two pardons are only the seventh and eighth such pardons which have been granted and the fourth and fifth posthumous pardons.

The previous posthumous pardons were awarded by President Higgins to Harry Gleeson in 2015, to Maolra Seoighe (Myles Joyce) in 2018 and to John Twiss in 2021.