Public holidays in Ireland

Public holidays in Ireland are established in statute law, and there are currently ten public holidays observed each year. 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, most businesses and schools close. Other services, for example, public transport, still operate but often with reduced schedules.

List of public holidays

The ten public holidays in Ireland each year are:

{| class="wikitable"

!Date

!English name

!Irish name

!Notes

|1 January

|New Year's Day

| or<br/>

|Added to the public holidays statute in 1974.

| in March or April

|Easter Monday

|The day after Easter Sunday (). Also coincides with the commemoration of the Easter Rising. The earliest date for Easter Monday is 23 March and the latest date is 26 April.

|May Day

|First observed in 1994. Corresponds with the traditional festival of Bealtaine.

|June Holiday

|First observed in 1973.

|August Holiday

|First observed in 1871. Corresponds with the traditional festival of Lúnasa.

|October Holiday

|First observed in 1977. Corresponds with Halloween and the traditional festival of Samhain.

|25 December

|Christmas Day

|Most start Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve (), including taking time off work.

|26 December

| or<br/>

|The day after Christmas, celebrating the feast day of Saint Stephen. Lá an Dreoilín means Day of the Wren.

Additionally, there are two bank holidays in Ireland each year:

{| class="wikitable"

!Date

!Notes

|Moveable Friday in March or April

|Good Friday (Aoine an Chéasta) is a bank holiday, but not a public holiday. Banks are closed on this day, alongside other businesses voluntarily. State schools are closed on this day as it falls during Easter break. The earliest date for Good Friday is 20 March and the latest date is 23 April.

|27 December is a bank holiday, If an employee qualifies for public holiday benefit, they are entitled to one of the following: a paid day off on the public holiday, an additional day of annual leave, an additional day's pay; or a paid day off within a month of the public holiday.

There is no requirement for businesses to close on public holidays, for instance many shops will open but some may operate reduced hours.

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.

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.

|14 September 2001

|National day of mourning for the victims of the September 11 attacks

|18 March 2022

|Day of Remembrance and Recognition of people who lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic

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.

References

External links

Public holidays in Ireland – Citizens Information website