Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College Dublin

Congratulations to the Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College who won the Pro Bono Publico / Community Law Firm / Lawyer of the Year award at the recent LEAP Irish Law Awards 2025.

The Faculty of Law and Griffith College are delighted that the Irish Innocence Project has been recognised for all the hard work and dedication put in by the Irish Innocence Project team, supervising lawyers, Law Faculty students and interns.

We are devastated to hear the news today of the death of Sunny Jacobs.

Sunny was the victim of a miscarriage of justice and sentenced to death in the USA, later being exonerated and released.

She was a life long campaigner for human rights and the abolition of the death penalty, speaking all over the world of how the death penalty invariably kills the innocent and debases the whole of humanity.

She also worked tirelessly to support other victims of miscarriages of justice and exonerees through the work of the Sunny Centre in County Clare.

Despite the brutality visited on her by the criminal justice system she displayed love and humanity and empathy, and helped others with their trauma.

She spoke with our students here in Griffith College many times, and always articulately left students with the message that human rights are sacred, that criminal justice systems are flawed, that innocence project work is essential, and that through humanity and empathy you can help others to heal.

She will be greatly missed by our organisation, and by innocence activists and volunteers across the world.

Dr Edward Mathews
Director - Irish Innocence Project at Griffith College

This past Sunday, Harry Gleeson was finally laid to rest in St Mary’s Cemetery, Holycross in Co. Tipperary. His homecoming honored his character and the life he led in the company of his relatives and hundreds of supporters.

During the ceremony, his grandniece Ann Gleeson imparted a few final words in his memory: “The horrific cross was wrongly placed on him without mercy. He was an innocent man and bore that burden with a dignity and bravery that surely must come from on high.” The burden imposed onto Gleeson cannot be forgotten, but at last, he may rest with the respect he so rightly deserved.

To learn more, read the full story down below.

https://www.rte.ie/news/primetime/2024/0707/1458607-leaving-mountjoy-83-years-on-gleesons-remains-are-brought-home/

Justice Restored: Harry Gleeson's Remains identified 83 Years Later

In 1940, an innocent man named Harry Gleeson was wrongly convicted and hanged for the murder of Moll McCarthy. Recognising Mr. Gleeson as the victim of a grave miscarriage of justice, the Irish Innocence Project and Gleeson's family devoted their work to his exoneration. In 2015, Harry Gleeson was granted the first posthumous pardon in Irish history.

Since then, Mr. Gleeson's family have worked tirelessly for the return of his remains. 83 years after his wrongful ex*****on, the Department of Justice has found Mr. Gleeson's remains in an unmarked grave at Mountjoy Prison. Mr. Gleeson's family can finally return him to his home for a rightful burial and to properly honour his memory.

To learn more, read the full story down below.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crime/remains-of-harry-gleeson-identified-in-mountjoy-prison-83-years-after-he-was-framed-and-hanged-for-murder-of-moll-mccarthy/a544124277.html

Hit in DNA Database Proves Leonard Mack’s Innocence After 47 Years of Wrongful Conviction - Innocence Project Unreliable witness identifications along with racial bias and tunnel vision led to Mr. Mack’s wrongful conviction, the longest to be vacated based on DNA evidence.

Expanded post-conviction DNA bill signed into law A bill updating and expanding Colorado’s law for post-conviction DNA testing became law Friday, March 10.

Ian Schweitzer Exonerated of Murder After 25 Years in Hawaii - New DNA evidence identifies one unknown male perpetrator, proving Mr. Schweitzer and his co-defendants’ innocence in 1991 murder and r**e.

Remains of Tipperary man given posthumous pardon still missing after five-year search It is believed Harry Gleeson's remains are in the grounds at Mountjoy Prison where executed prisoners would have been buried

I was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death. We need to do more to help exonerees. I lost 17 years of my life, but I’ve lost more than just days. I lost an innocent man who was my husband. My life is dedicated to helping others.