These are the public holidays observed in Ireland.[1] 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:
| Date | English name | Irish name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Irish: Lá Caille or Irish: Lá Bliana Nua | Added to the public holidays statute in 1974. Most also take time off work for New Year's Eve (Irish: Oíche Chinn Bliana). | |
| 1 February or | Saint Brigid's Day / Imbolc | or Irish: Imbolc | First observed in 2023. First Monday of February, or on 1 February if it is a Friday. Co-celebrated with the traditional festival of Imbolc. | |
| 17 March | National day. Became an official public holiday in Ireland in 1903. | |||
| Easter Monday | Irish: Luan Cásca | The day after Easter Sunday (Irish: Domhnach Cásca). Also coincides with the commemoration of the Easter Rising. Good Friday (Irish: Aoine an Chéasta) is not a public holiday, though all state schools and some businesses close. | ||
| May Day[2] | Irish: Lá Bealtaine | First observed in 1994.[3] Corresponds with the traditional festival of Bealtaine. | ||
| June Holiday | Irish: Lá Saoire i mí an Mheithimh | First observed in 1973. Formerly observed as Whit Monday until 1973.[4] | ||
| August Holiday | Irish: Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa | Corresponds with the traditional festival of Lúnasa. | ||
| October Holiday | Irish: Lá Saoire i mí Dheireadh Fómhair | First observed in 1977.[5] Corresponds with Halloween and the traditional festival of Samhain. | ||
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Irish: Lá Nollag | Most start Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve (Irish: Oíche Nollag), including taking time off work. | |
| 26 December | Irish: Lá Fhéile Stiofáin or Irish: Lá an Dreoilín | The day after Christmas, celebrating the feast day of Saint Stephen. Lá an Dreoilín means Day of the Wren. |
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.
The United Kingdom Bank Holidays Act 1871 established the first Bank holidays in Ireland. The act designated four Bank holidays in Ireland:
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.[6]
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.[7]
In 1939, the Oireachtas passed the Holidays (Employees) Act 1939 which designated the public holidays as:[8]
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.[9] The October Holiday was added in 1977.[5] The first Monday in May (commonly known as May Day) was added in 1993 and first observed in 1994.[1]
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.[10]
In 2022 only, Friday 18 March was a public holiday, to recognise the efforts of the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
In 2023, Saint Brigid's Day (Imbolc) became a public holiday, to mark both the saint's feast day and the seasonal festival.[11] It is observed on the first Monday of February, or on 1 February if it falls on a Friday.[11] 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".[11]
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:
| 31 December 1999 | Special public holiday in recognition of the Millennium[12] | |
| 14 September 2001 | National day of mourning for the victims of the September 11 attacks[13] | |
| 18 March 2022 | Day of Remembrance and Recognition of people who lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic[14] |