Historians, students of local history and innocent bystanders may be interested to know that the Michael O’Donohoe Memorial Heritage Project Committee will hold an open and free exhibition at the function room in the Crown Hotel tonight, Friday, October 18th at 8pm.
John Twiss Campaign
While the event will focus on the ongoing, but rapidly developing campaign for an official pardon for John Twiss – hanged in 1895 for a crime he had no hand, act or part in.
There will also be an update on the quest for pardons for Sylvester Poff and James Barrett hanged in Tralee in 1883 – the campaign for which will be launched tonight by Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin,TD.
Minister Griffin may well have an announcement to make on the Twiss case. He will, at least, have a letter from Minister for Justice, Charlie Flanagan, TD – and that can be only good news after all these years.
Conviction and Ultimate Hanging
There was always a deep doubt that the John Twiss conviction and ultimate hanging was a miscarriage of justice. The charges leveled against him have now been proven groundless by a team of highly regarded legal experts from the BBC 1TV programme, Murder, Mystery and My Family.
Michael O’Donohoe Catalogue
Also included at tonight’s event will be the printed catalogue of the entire and extensive Michael O’Donohoe Memorial Heritage Project Collection and samples of what the collection contains.
Members of the public are being encourages to ask about the collection and its work and the committee members and project manager, Janet Murphy will be glad to engage and inform.
Burden of Doubt Lifted
There will also be a re-viewing of the aforementioned BBC 1 programme which was really the first publicly broadcast exoneration of the unfortunate John Twiss.
It lifted the burden of doubt from the shoulders of his descendants, representative of whom, Denis Sayers and Helen O’Connor, are expected to attend tonight’s event.
A copy of the formal application for his pardon will be presented to them in the course of the event.
