Lecture by Dr Áine Foley

This talk explores execution in Dublin city and county in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Public execution was the norm in the medieval period and some executions could draw large crowds. The modern expression Gala Day is derived from the Anglo-Saxon gallows day, confirming that these were public events from a very early period. This talk will discuss where the gallows were located in Dublin, why people were executed, as well as examining the different methods of execution used in the medieval city and county.