Plans to pardon 26 Irish-born soldiers executed for military offences in the First World War were welcomed today by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern.
He said it was a huge breakthrough in the fight to undo a grave injustice on the volunteers.
Many of the men joined the British Army to escape poverty but were shot dead by their comrades for cowardice and desertion. One case file is marked "shot for example".
Mr Ahern has supported the Irish Shot at Dawn Campaign and renewed calls for pardons to be granted in March.
"We believe that a grave injustice was done to those young men and the Government has therefore given its full support to the Irish Shot at Dawn Campaign," the minister said.
"This was done so that we could recover their memory from dishonour and bring comfort to their families, and also in the wider spirit of recognising the experience and sacrifice of the tens of thousands of young men from all across this island who fell during the First World War."
The 26 Irish soldiers are: Pte A Smythe and Pte T Cummings, 1st Irish Guards. Pte T Hope and Pte P Downey, Leinster Regiment, Pte T Davis, Pte J Graham, Royal Munster Fusiliers. Lance Corporal P Sands, Rifleman J Crozier, Rifleman J F McCracken, Rifleman J Templeton, Rifleman S McBride, Royal Irish Rifles. Pte J Cassidy, Pte T Murphy (aka T Hogan), Pte J Wishart, Pte J Hepple (aka R Hope), Pte J Seymour, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, and Pte J Carey and Pte G Hanna, Royal Irish Fusiliers. Pte M Monaghan (aka S Byrne), 1st Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, Pte B O'Connell, Irish Guards, and Pte P Murphy, Machine Gun Corps. Driver J Mullany and Driver J Bell, Royal Field Artillery, Pte B McGeehan (Irish) King's Liverpool, Pte A Hamilton, Durham Light Infantry. Pte J Wilson, who served with the Canadian Infantry.
In October 2004, the Government submitted a comprehensive report on the Shot at Dawn campaign to the British Government.
It detailed the events surrounding the deaths of 26 soldiers claiming one man was shot for being absent from his post for 45 minutes and another executed as an example. It also claimed a disparity in the treatment of Irish soldiers.
It said Courts Martial were fundamentally flawed, denying the accused a fair trial due to an inconsistent, capricious and unpredictable system.
Irish relatives today welcomed plans by the British government to grant posthumous pardons to the soldiers.
Families of the dead soldiers in both Britain and Ireland have long argued the officers who ordered their execution failed to take into account the horrific circumstances of the 1914-1918 war, that put soldiers under immense stress and may have affected them psychologically.
One soldier who was pardoned by British courts yesterday, was Briton Private Harry Farr. Private Farr was suffering from severe shellshock and had previously been hospitalised when he refused to return to the front line, his family has long maintained.
He was shot at dawn on October 2nd, 1916, aged 25.
British Defence Secretary Des Browne yesterday said he had decided to grant a group pardon to more than 300 soldiers because the evidence did not exist to assess each case individually.
"I believe it is better to acknowledge that injustices were clearly done in some cases, even if we cannot say which - and to acknowledge that all these men were victims of war," Mr Browne said in a statement.
Mr Browne said he would seek parliamentary approval for the pardons as soon as possible.
26 Irish soldiers were executed after court marshals and Peter Mulvanney of the Irish Shot at Dawn Campaign has welcomed the latest ruling that gives hope to families here.
Mr Mulvanney said this morning the decision was "very welcome, its very compassionate, humane and very wise.
"It vindicates the Irish governments position when they came on board and supported the campaign in 2004.
"It vindicates the minister's (Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern) position and I commend him and his staff for their support for our families," added Mr Mulvanney on RTE Radio.