NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP)–In 1806, two Irish men were hanged for a murder that they did not commit. On Friday morning the annual wreath laying was held at the Daley and Halligan memorial stone near Hospital Hill, commemorating the event.

Northampton has long been an integral part of the Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade. This year’s Northampton Parade Marshall, Tony Ryan, was among those in attendance of the ceremony.

“But the significance of people gathering on St. Patrick’s day. And coming here, is to recognize, you know, the ancestry,” remarked Ryan. “Both the struggles of our past and the struggles of others in the present, and we hope not those in the future.”

According to Historic Northampton, Gov. Michael Dukakis issued a proclamation exonerating Daley and Halligan on St. Patrick’s Day 1984.

When Dominic Daley and James Halligan were hanged, they proclaimed, “we blame no one, we forgive everybody,” a statement that many participants of the ceremony found inspiring. Learn more about this historical event at the Historic Northampton website.