Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland - wikipedia Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland 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 also referred to as bank holidays - a colloquialism ), most businesses and schools close. Other services, for example, public transport, still operate but often with reduced schedules. The nine public holidays in Ireland each year are as follows : Date English Name Irish Name Notes 1 January New Year 's Day Lá Caille or Lá Bliana Nua Most also take time off work for New Year 's Eve ( Oíche Chinn Bliana ). 17 March Saint Patrick 's Day Lá Fhéile Pádraig National day. First became an official public holiday in Ireland in 1903. Moveable Monday Easter Monday Luan Cásca The day after Easter Sunday ( Domhnach Cásca ) -- also coincides with the commemoration of the Easter Rising. Good Friday ( Aoine an Chéasta ) is not a public holiday, though all state schools and some businesses close. Moveable Monday May Day Lá Bealtaine The first Monday in May. First observed in 1994. Moveable Monday June Holiday Lá Saoire i mí an Mheithimh The first Monday in June. Previously observed as Whit Monday until 1973. Moveable Monday August Holiday Lá Saoire i mí Lúnasa The first Monday in August. Moveable Monday October Holiday Lá Saoire i mí Dheireadh Fómhair The last Monday in October. ( Lá Saoire Oíche Shamhna ). First observed in 1977. 25 December Christmas Day Lá Nollag Most start Christmas celebrations on Christmas Eve ( Oíche Nollag ), including taking time off work. 26 December St. Stephen 's Day Lá Fhéile Stiofáin or Lá an Dreoilín The day after Christmas celebrating the feast day of Saint Stephen. Lá an Dreoilín translates as the Day of the Wren. Note that 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. Contents 1 History 2 School holidays 2.1 Primary schools 2.2 Secondary schools 3 See also 4 References 5 External links 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 ; St. Stephen 's Day and the first Monday in August. 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 the United Kingdom 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 Christmas Day ; St. Stephen 's Day ; St. Patrick 's Day ; Easter Monday ; Whit Monday and the first Monday in August. The Holidays ( Employees ) Act 1973, replaced the Whit Monday holiday with the first Monday in June. New Year 's Day was not listed in the Act but 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. In 1997 the Oireachtas passed the Organisation of Working Time Act. This Act, 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 their terms of employment. School holidays This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2011 ) Primary schools Life in Ireland Culture Christianity Cuisine Culture Customs Holidays Music Religion Sport Tourism Economy Communications Economy Taxation Transport General Architecture Geography History Military Recycling Society Demographics Education Health care Languages Media Politics Government Law Law enforcement Politics Foreign relations Policies Abortion Marriage equality 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, but however this has stopped. The Christmas break lasts from the last schoolday 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 2nd 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 close for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December. The Christmas break lasts from the last schoolday before 23 December to the first weekday after 6 January ( 10 school days or 15 -- 18 days inclusive ). The second mid-term break begins on the last schoolday 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 Gaelic calendar Public holidays in the United Kingdom for Northern Ireland References Jump up ^ `` Holidays ( Employees ) Act, 1973 ''. Irish Statute Book. Office of the Attorney General. Archived from the original on 20 February 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` O'Mara ''. Retrieved 27 December 2014. Jump up ^ This holiday has no official title in Ireland, it is called the first Monday in May. ^ Jump up to : `` S.I. No. 91 / 1993 -- Holidays ( Employees ) Act, 1973 ( Public Holiday ) Regulations, 1993 ''. Irish Statute Book. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 17 March 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Holidays ( Employees ) Act, 1961 ''. Irish Statute Book. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 17 March 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` S.I. No. 193 / 1977 -- Holidays ( Employees ) Act, 1973 ( Public Holiday ) Regulations, 1977 ''. Irish Statute Book. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 17 March 2010. Jump up ^ `` Bank Holiday Fact File '' ( PDF ). TUC press release. 22 May 2007. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2010. Jump up ^ `` Holidays ( Employees ) Act, 1939 ''. Irish Statute Book. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 17 March 2010. Jump up ^ `` S.I. No. 341 / 1974 -- Holidays ( Employees ) Act, 1973 ( Public Holiday ) Regulations, 1974 ''. Irish Statute Book. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 17 March 2010. Jump up ^ `` Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 ''. Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved 5 January 2011. External links Public holidays in Ireland -- Citizens Information website Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland New Year 's Day Saint Patrick 's Day Easter Monday May Day June Holiday August Holiday October Holiday Christmas Day Saint Stephen 's Day Public holidays in Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies and other entities Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard Other entities European Union Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Public_holidays_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland&oldid=814478126 '' Categories : Lists of public holidays by country Public holidays in the Republic of Ireland Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from April 2011 All articles needing additional references Use dmy dates from August 2010 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Deutsch Français ქართული Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 9 December 2017, at 01 : 47. 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Question: what the difference between a bank holiday and a public holiday in ireland
Answer: public holidays (sometimes also referred to as bank holidays - a colloquialism)