Bid to clear name of man hanged for murder... in 1882

A Galway man wrongly convic-ted and hanged for the murder of a family of five in 1882 will be remembered next month ahead of efforts in the British Houses of Parliament to declare the conviction a miscarriage of justice.

Myles Joyce, who only spoke Irish, was one of three men hanged for the murder of the Joyce family — John Joyce, his wife Bridget, daughter Peigí, mother Margaret, and his son, Michael — at Maamtrasna on the Galway/Mayo border.

The case became infamous when it was heard in front of a Dublin jury that had no Irish, and because Myles Joyce’s solicitor spoke only English. The evidence given by Myles through Irish in court was ignored and evidence that could have helped his defence was withheld.