Misplaced Pages

These are the public holidays observed in Ireland. Public holidays in Ireland (as in other countries) may commemorate a special day or other event, such as Saint Patrick's Day or Christmas Day. On public holidays (sometimes referred to as bank holidays), most businesses and schools close. Other services, for example, public transport, still operate but often with reduced schedules.

The ten public holidays in Ireland each year are as follows:

Where a public holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, or possibly coincides with another public holiday, it is generally observed (as a day off work) on the next available weekday, even though the public holiday itself does not move. In such cases, an employee is entitled to at least one of the following (as chosen by the employer): a day off within a month, an additional day's paid annual leave or an additional day's pay. The usual practice is, however, to award a day off on the next available weekday.

History

The United Kingdom Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the first Bank holidays in Ireland. The act designated four Bank holidays in Ireland:

• Easter Monday
• Whit Monday
• First Monday in August
• Saint Stephen's Day

As Good Friday and Christmas Day were traditional days of rest and Christian worship (as were Sundays), therefore it was felt unnecessary to include them in the act as they were already recognised as common law holidays.

In 1903, Saint Patrick's Day became an official public holiday in Ireland. This was due to the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903, an Act of Parliament introduced by the Irish MP James O'Mara.

In 1939, the Oireachtas passed the Holidays (Employees) Act 1939 which designated the public holidays as:

• Saint Patrick's Day
• Easter Monday
• Whit Monday
• First Monday in August
• Christmas Day
• Saint Stephen's Day

The Holidays (Employees) Act 1973 replaced the Whit Monday holiday with the first Monday in June. New Year's Day was added by Statutory instrument in 1974. The October Holiday was added in 1977. The first Monday in May (commonly known as May Day) was added in 1993 and first observed in 1994.

The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, among other things, transposed European Union directives on working times into Irish law. Schedule 2 of the Act specifies the nine public holidays to which employees in Ireland are entitled to receive time off work, time in-lieu or holiday pay depending on the terms of their employment.

In 2022 only, Friday 18 March was a public holiday, to recognise the efforts of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, Saint Brigid's Day (Imbolc) became a public holiday, to mark both the saint's feast day and the seasonal festival. It is observed on the first Monday of February, or on 1 February if it falls on a Friday. A government statement noted that it is the first Irish public holiday named after a woman, and "means that all four of the traditional Celtic seasonal festivals will now be public holidays".

Once-off public holidays

The power to introduce an additional public holiday is provided for in the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment may introduce a new public holiday by regulation. To date, three once-off public holidays have been introduced under the Act via Statutory Instrument. These were:

School holidays

Primary schools

• In Ireland the academic year in primary schools lasts from late August to late June.
• The academic year is composed of 183 schooldays and schools are not open in July or August (though for flexibility school may open for the last two/three days of August).
• The first mid-term break is always the last week of October (also called the Halloween break).
• Most Catholic schools previously closed for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December, however this has stopped.
• The Christmas break lasts from the last school day before 23 December to the first weekday after 6 January (17–21 days).
• The second mid-term break is a minimum of two days to a maximum of five days duration taken in the third week of February (also called the Shrove break).
• The Easter break consists of a week before Easter to the second Monday after Easter (10 school days or 16 days inclusive).
• In the last term holidays are flexible and are generally arranged around the public holidays in May and June.

Secondary schools

• In Ireland the academic year in secondary schools is composed of 167 school days and lasts from late August to early June.
• The first mid-term break begins on the last weekend before 31 October and lasts for one week.
• Many Catholic schools used to close for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December but this however has stopped nationwide.
• The Christmas break lasts from the last school day before 23 December to the first weekday after 4 January (10 school days or 15–18 days inclusive).
• The second mid-term break begins on the last school day in the second week of February and lasts for one week.
• The Easter break consists of a week before Easter to the second Monday after Easter (10 school days or 16 days inclusive).
• The school year ends on the Friday before the June public holiday.
• The state examinations (the Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations) begin the Wednesday after the June Holiday.

See also

• Irish calendar
• Public and bank holidays in Scotland
• Traditional festival days of Wales
• Public holidays in the United Kingdom for Northern Ireland

References

1. ^ Ryan-Christensen, Aoife (2 February 2024). "All you need to know about bank holidays in Ireland". RTÉ. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
2. ^ Organisation of Working Time (Covid-19 Commemoration) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 50 of 2022). Signed on 11 February 2022. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
3. ^ "Government agrees Covid Recognition Payment and New Public Holiday". Gov.ie. Department of the Taoiseach. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
4. ^ "O'Mara". Retrieved 27 December 2014.
5. This holiday has no official title in Ireland, it is called the first Monday in May.
6. Holidays (Employees) Act 1973 (Public Holiday) Regulations 1993 (S.I. No. 91 of 1993). Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 17 March 2010.
7. Holidays (Employees) Act, 1973, Schedule (No. 25 of 1973, Schedule). Enacted on 21 November 1973. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
8. ^ Holidays (Employees) Act 1973 (Public Holiday) Regulations 1977 (S.I. No. 193 of 1977). Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 17 March 2010.
9. "Bank Holiday Fact File" (PDF). TUC press release. 22 May 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
10. Holidays (Employees) Act 1939, s. 8 (No. 1 of 1939, s. 8). Enacted on 17 February 1939. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
11. Holidays (Employees) Act 1973 (Public Holiday) Regulations 1974 (S.I. No. 341 of 1974). Signed on 22 November 1974. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
12. Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (No. 20 of 1997). Enacted on 7 May 1997. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
13. Organisation of Working Time (Public Holiday) Regulations, 1999 (S.I. No. 10 of 1999). Signed on 27 January 1999. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
14. Organisation of Working Time (National Day of Mourning) Regulations, 2001 (S.I. No. 419 of 2001). Signed on 12 September 2001. Statutory Instrument of the Government of Ireland. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.

External links

• Public holidays in Ireland – Citizens Information website

v t e Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland
New Year's Day Saint Brigid's Day Saint Patrick's Day Easter Monday May Day June Holiday August Holiday October Holiday Christmas Day Saint Stephen's Day

v t e Ireland topics
Republic of Ireland topics Northern Ireland topics
History Timeline Prehistory Protohistory Early history Gaelic Ireland / Lordship of Ireland 800–1169 1169–1536 Kingdom of Ireland 1536–1691 1691–1800 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801–1923 Irish Republic Southern Ireland (1921–1922) Northern Ireland (1921–present) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1922 Irish Free State (1922–1937) Ireland (since 1922) Events Battles of Tara / Glenmama / Clontarf Norman invasion Bruce campaign Black Death Tudor conquest Desmond Rebellions Spanish Armada Tyrone's Rebellion Flight of the Earls Plantation of Ulster 1641 Rebellion / Confederate War Cromwellian conquest / Settlement of 1652 Williamite War Penal Laws First Great Famine 1798 Rebellion Act of Union (1800) 1803 Rebellion Tithe War Second Great Famine Land War Fenian Rising Dublin lock-out Home Rule crisis Easter Rising War of Independence Anglo-Irish Treaty Civil War The Emergency IRA Northern Campaign IRA Border Campaign The Troubles Peace process Economy of the Republic of Ireland Celtic Tiger Post-2008 Irish economic downturn Post-2008 Irish banking crisis Other topics List of conflicts in Ireland List of Irish tribes List of Irish kingdoms List of High Kings Gaelic clothing and fashion List of World Heritage Sites in the Republic of Ireland
Geography Natural Climate Climate change Coastline Extreme points Fauna Islands Loughs Mountains Rivers list List of national parks of the Republic of Ireland / in Northern Ireland Human Architecture Notable buildings Tallest buildings and structures Cities Counties Demographics of the Republic of Ireland / of Northern Ireland Ports Provinces ROI–UK border Towns Tourism in the Republic of Ireland Tourist attractions Transport
Politics Ideologies Nationalism Republicanism Ulster loyalism Unionism Republic of Ireland Constitution Economy Education Foreign relations Government local Law LGBT rights Oireachtas parliament Dáil Éireann (lower house) Seanad Éireann (upper house) President Taxation Northern Ireland Assembly D'Hondt method Economy Education Government local LGBT rights Peace process
Culture Cuisine Food List of dishes Barmbrack Bacon and cabbage Boxty Champ Coddle Colcannon Drisheen Irish fry Skirts and kidneys Soda bread Spice Bag Stew Three-in-One Drinks Coffee Cream Guinness Mist Poitín Tea Whiskey Dance Jig Sean-nós Set dancing Stepdance Festivals Imbolc Saint Patrick's Day Bealtaine The Twelfth Lúnasa Rose of Tralee Samhain / Halloween Wren Day Languages Hiberno-English Irish Shelta Ulster Scots Literature Annals Fiction Gaeilge Poetry Theatre Triads Music Ballads Céilí Folk music session Instruments Rock music Traditional singing Mythology Cycles Mythological Fenian Ulster Kings Aos Sí Echtrai Immrama Tuatha Dé Danann Firbolg Fomorians Legendary creatures People Irish people List of Irish people Irish diaspora Anglo-Irish Gaels Gaelic Ireland Hiberno-Normans Travellers Ulster Scots Yola v t e Immigration to the Republic of Ireland Groups Americans Brazilians Chinese Filipinos Lithuanians Nigerians South Asians Poles Romani Turks Related topics Demographics of the Republic of Ireland Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service Stamp 4 Sport Association football in the Republic of Ireland Association football in Northern Ireland Camogie Gaelic football Gaelic handball Hurling Martial arts Road bowling Rounders Rugby union Symbols Brighid's Cross Cláirseach County coats of arms Flags Northern Ireland flags issue Irish Wolfhound National coat of arms Red Hand Shamrock Other Calendar Castles Cinema Heritage Sites Historic houses Homelessness Mass media (Republic) Monastic Names Place names / outside Ireland Prostitution (Republic) / in Northern Ireland Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland / in Northern Ireland Public houses Squatting
Ireland portal

• Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland
• Lists of public holidays by country
• Lists of events in Ireland