The 10 volunteers were easily identifiable following their exhumation, despite some fears that they may have been buried in quicklime and the bodies destroyed.

According to a spokesman for the Prisons Service, while the coffins had disintegrated considerably, it was possible to identify each of the 10 men.

Prior to the beginning of the exhumation process at Mountjoy Prison, Dublin, the 10-foot high De Valera Monument, a granite cross erected in 1961, had to be moved.

According to the spokesman, records show a sketch map was given by an army officer at General Headquarters, Portobello Barracks, Dublin, on April 9th, 1923, to a Captain Stafford, showing where the men had been buried.

The map indicated where each man had been buried but did not give measurements, such as how far out from the wall or how far from each other.

The 10 men were executed by hanging on four dates between November 1920 and June 1921. They were buried in adjacent plots.

Kevin Barry, who was executed on November 1st, 1920, was buried in the first grave.

Thomas Bryan, Patrick Doyle, Frank Flood, Patrick Moran, Thomas Whelan and Bernard Ryan, who were executed on March 14th, 1921, were buried in the second.

Thomas Traynor, executed on April 25, 1921, was buried in the third, and Edmond Foley and Patrick Maher, the last two men to be executed, on June 7th of that year, were in the fourth grave.

The exhumation process took one month, far less time than was envisaged.

A team of archaeologists, led by Mr Tom Condit of D·chas, did the digging, using trowels. Dr Maire Delaney, a lecturer in anatomy at Trinity College, and the State Pathologist, Dr John Harbison, were also involved.

According to the spokesman, the sketch map was absolutely accurate. Prison records indicating the height of each individual and other details meant Dr Delaney was able to ensure the correct identities. "There was no doubt whatsoever as to who was who," he said.

He said Dr Delaney had been able to tell the families there was no question but the men got a proper Christian burial. They were found intact, without any evidence they had been tortured beforehand, and properly laid out.

After exhumation the remains were taken to a temporary mortuary, and placed in new coffins where they have remained since.

Today they will be moved and the coffins placed back over the graves. The Prisons Service have invited relatives to a prayer service this evening, in advance of tomorrow's ceremonies.