IRISH President Michael D Higgins has called for a posthumous pardon for the innocent men who were hanged or sentenced to life in prison over the brutal muder of a family in 19th century Ireland.
The Mám Trasna murders in 1882 involved the the brutal slaying of a family of five in the remote village of Mám Trasna in Co. Mayo.
“At that stage, I will be returning to this issue to see what I can do," the President said.
"If it were up to me, the formalities aside, I would be happy to accept that the injustice which occurred should be recognised. My view is that the moral issue is clear."
He added: “Everything that happened at the level of the State was horrendous. There was bribery involved.
"The accused didn’t get a proper chance to defend themselves. There wasn’t an atmosphere of equality and there was no equality as regards legal processes at that time.”
Murdair Mhám Trasna is broadcast on April 4 at 9.30pm on TG4.A campaign, supported by President Higgins, to secure pardons for men is also set to receive a boost with the screening of a new drama-documentary on TG4.
In the feature length docu-drama, Murdair Mhám Trasna (The Mám Trasna Murders) President Higgins reveals that the Government has appointed an expert to examine the case for granting posthumous pardons to Maolra Seoighe and the innocent men convicted of the historic murders.
A swift and severe response from the British authorities led to the conviction of innocent people, the hanging of some and the imprisonment of others as a result of perjured evidence and bribery.
The events were described by the prominent British historian Robert Kee as “one of the most blatant miscarriages of justice in British legal history”.
As the miscarriage of justice began to unfold and the perjury was admitted in the press, both nationally and internationally at the time, a refusal by Gladstone’s government to allow a public inquiry contributed to the fall of that government in Westminster in 1885.
The innocent victims have never been pardoned by the authorities.
Murdair Mhám Trasna is broadcast on April 4 at 9.30pm on TG4.
