Minute’s silence for pardoned Mám Trasna man

Ciara Galvin

MAYO County Council representatives and staff observed a minute’s silence yesterday (Monday) for Myles Joyce who was pardoned last week for the MΡm Trasna Murders.
President Michael D Higgins signed a warrant last week granting a posthumous pardon to Myles Joyce or Maolra Seoighe, who was wrongfully convicted and hanged over the murder of five people on the Galway-Mayo border in 1882. Joyce was convicted and executed over the infamous murders.
At Monday’s monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne commended the President for pardoning Mr Joyce who was one of ten men from the local area who were arrested and charged with the murders.
Cllr Kilcoyne proposed the minute’s silence to recognise ‘the injustice done to an innocent man’.
The murder trial was held in English, despite the fact that Joyce was an Irish speaker who did not understand English.
He was one of three men hanged for the crimes.
Shortly before their executions two of the men separately admitted that they were guilty but confirmed Joyce’s innocence.
The confirmation of Joyce’s innocence was however deemed insufficient to delay the execution.
The advice from the Government to pardon Mr Joyce was based on an expert report commissioned by former Taoiseach Enda Kenny.