The president of Ireland shocked the nation this week after he issued a pardon for two men who have been dead for well over a century.

According to the BBC, two men who were executed in 1883, more than 140 years ago, were issued a formal presidential pardon by Irish President Michael D Higgins for their families to find peace and closure. 

The formal pardoning ceremony, with the men's descendants in attendance, took place at Arás an Uachtaráin (the presidential residence in Ireland).

The BBC noted the men's names were "Sylvester Poff, 35, and James Barrett, 21, for the murder of Thomas Browne in County Kerry in 1882."

What happened?

The Irish president described what happened to the two men as one of the country's "great wrongs," making that clear in his speech to the men's descendants at the ceremony.

"While we cannot undo what happened, we do have the power to acknowledge that what happened to Sylvester Poff and James Barrett was a great wrong," Higgins said.

Kerry Men Hanged in 1883 to Be Officially Pardoned by President Higgins #PresidentialPardon #VMNews | @hanelizamurphy pic.twitter.com/biQhIlCIiC

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"I am pleased to be able to formally grant a presidential pardon to each of the men today, and to at least set the record straight," the Irish president said, adding, "I hope that by doing so will bring a sense of closure to their families following almost 142 years."

The BBC noted:

Mr Poff and Mr Barrett, who were cousins, were hanged at Tralee Gaol in January 1883 after being found guilty of murdering Thomas Browne on his farm in Dromulton three months earlier.

The two men didn't even match the description of the suspects at the time of the murder but were arrested anyway based on a neighbor's statement.

Reviewed over 100 years later

The legacy and reputation of the two men who were wrongfully executed at the time were reinstated after a recent review by Ireland's Department of Justice, which then recommended they both receive a posthumous presidential pardon.

University College Dublin legal expert Dr Niamh Howlin was instrumental in determining that given the evidence presented at the time, it would not hold up in court today.

Posthumous presidential pardons are extremely rare in Ireland, according to the report.

Theirs was only the fourth time that a past conviction was overturned.