Mayo County Council held a minute's silence in memory of Myles Joyce, also known as Maolra Seoighe, who was wrongfully convicted and hanged for the murder of five people on the Mayo/Galway border in 1882.
Last week President Higgins signed a posthumous pardon for Mr Joyce, who was one of three men hanged for the crime. Shortly before their execution two of the men had separately admitted their part in the crimes and said that Joyce had no part to play in it; however that did not stop his execution. The pardon was the first presidential pardon relating to an event pre-dating the foundation of the State in 1922.
Indepedent councillor Michael Kilycone proposed the minute's silence at the meeting, saying: "I want to congratulate the President Michael D Higgins on his decision to rescind the decision in relation to the Mám Trasna murders, in particular that Myles Joyce was an innocent man. I want to propose a minute's silence to remember the terrible injustice that was done to that man and his family."
