Editing Execution by firing squad (section)

===Ireland===
{{Main|Capital punishment in Ireland}}
Following the 1916 [[Easter Rising]] in Ireland, 15 of the 16 leaders who were executed were shot by the [[Dublin Castle administration]] under [[martial law]]. The executions have often been cited as a reason for how the Rising managed to galvanise public support in Ireland after the failed rebellion.<ref>English, R. ''Irish Freedom'', (London, 2006), pp. 264–276. {{ISBN?}}</ref>

Following the [[Anglo-Irish Treaty]], a split in the government and the Dáil led to a [[Irish Civil War|Civil War]] during which the Free State Government sanctioned the [[Executions during the Irish Civil War|executions by firing squad]] of 81 persons. Included in those numbers were some prominent prisoners who were executed without trial as reprisals. Records show that eleven soldiers would have had live rounds in their weapons, and one soldier had a blank round.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kilmainhamtales.ie/1916---firing-squads.php | title=Kilmainham Tales }}</ref> The officers loaded the weapons for the soldiers so no soldier knew if his weapon contained the blank round or a live one. This method was used to prevent the soldiers from being prosecuted for war crimes in the future, as it was impossible to know which soldier had fired a blank round, and therefore all soldiers could claim innocence.