Bank holidays in Ireland 2026
Ireland has ten public holidays in 2026, ending with Christmas Day on Friday 25 December and St Stephen’s Day on Saturday 26 December. A weekend public holiday does not automatically give you the next working day off. Eligible employees receive a public holiday benefit under the workplace rules explained below.
Use this calendar to plan time off, then check what the holiday means for your own job. The date a public holiday occurs, the day a business closes and the benefit on your payslip can be different. This guide explains the Republic of Ireland rules as of November 2026.
In this guide
- All public holiday dates in Ireland for 2026
- What is still ahead as of November 2026?
- Does a Saturday holiday move to Monday?
- What benefit must an eligible employee receive?
- Do part-time and newly hired staff qualify?
- Is Good Friday a public holiday?
- How to plan leave, appointments and travel
- What to do if public holiday pay looks wrong
- Common questions
- Official sources
All public holiday dates in Ireland for 2026
There are ten public holidays in Ireland. The dates below are the statutory public holidays listed by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), which is the official source for the employment guidance in this article. People often call them bank holidays when arranging leave, childcare or a weekend away.
The list applies to the Republic of Ireland. If your work, home or journey involves Northern Ireland, check that jurisdiction’s calendar separately. A calendar saved from another country can show a different holiday even when the name sounds familiar.
| Public holiday | Date |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thursday 1 January 2026 |
| St Brigid’s Day public holiday | Monday 2 February 2026 |
| St Patrick’s Day | Tuesday 17 March 2026 |
| Easter Monday | Monday 6 April 2026 |
| May public holiday | Monday 4 May 2026 |
| June public holiday | Monday 1 June 2026 |
| August public holiday | Monday 3 August 2026 |
| October public holiday | Monday 26 October 2026 |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December 2026 |
| St Stephen’s Day | Saturday 26 December 2026 |
Keep the official date separate from the date your workplace closes. An employer may arrange a different day off or another permitted benefit. A school calendar, bank notice or transport timetable answers a different question from the statutory public holiday list.
What is still ahead as of November 2026?
The remaining public holidays in the current year are Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, and St Stephen’s Day, Saturday 26 December 2026. For anyone planning the end of the year, the Saturday holiday is the detail most likely to cause confusion. It remains a public holiday even if your normal working week ends before it.
Before you book leave, ask your employer how the Christmas closure and St Stephen’s Day benefit will be recorded. A business might close for longer than the statutory holidays, but the extra closure days need their own explanation. They may be annual leave, a contractual arrangement or another agreed form of time off.
If you receive welfare payments, use our social welfare payment dates guide alongside your own payment notice. A public holiday calendar does not establish the replacement payment date. Office closures and early payments must be checked with the service handling your claim.
Does a Saturday holiday move to Monday?
A public holiday falling on a day your business does not normally work still creates a public holiday benefit for an eligible employee. However, the WRC says there is no legal entitlement to have the next working day off. That is why a calendar entry marked as an observed bank closure should not be treated as a universal workplace entitlement.
For St Stephen’s Day this year, start with the Saturday date and then check your employment arrangement. Your employer can provide an allowed alternative benefit. If you are given a replacement day off, confirm which day it is and whether it has already been included in the published roster.
This matters especially when comparing jobs or discussing a payslip with colleagues. A colleague may receive a day off while another receives additional pay, depending on the employer’s decision and each person’s work pattern. Ask what benefit was applied to your own circumstances before assuming that a different roster is an error.
What benefit must an eligible employee receive?
The employer determines which permitted public holiday benefit applies. The options are a paid day off on the holiday, a paid day off within a month of it, an additional day of annual leave, or an additional day of pay. You should be able to identify which option has been used.
If the business closes and you would normally have worked that day, the WRC says you receive your normal day’s pay. If the business opens and you work, you are paid for that work at your agreed rate and receive the public holiday benefit as well. Working the shift does not remove that separate entitlement.
If you are not normally rostered to work, the WRC describes the entitlement as an extra one-fifth of your normal weekly wage. Variable hours and unusual arrangements can make the calculation harder to follow. Ask payroll for the work pattern and pay information used, rather than trying to settle a disputed calculation from a calendar alone.
Do part-time and newly hired staff qualify?
Full-time workers have immediate entitlement to public holiday benefit. Part-time workers qualify when they have worked a total of 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks. This is a test of hours worked, so keep your rosters or other reliable records if your shifts change frequently.
A part-time employee should not assume that having no shift on the holiday means no entitlement. First establish whether the qualifying hours test is met, then look at the benefit for the relevant work pattern. Conversely, a day highlighted in a diary does not by itself establish that every new part-time employee qualifies.
If you have just moved to Ireland, keep the written terms of your job and ask where public holiday arrangements are explained. Note the hours you actually worked as well as the hours originally offered. Where employment has ended or you are on an extended absence, check the specific WRC rules rather than applying the ordinary working-week example.
Is Good Friday a public holiday?
Good Friday is not a statutory public holiday in Ireland. The WRC describes it as a normal working day. Easter Monday is on the public holiday list, so the days around Easter need to be checked separately when you request leave or arrange cover.
Your employer can still close on Good Friday or give a contractual benefit. The important point is to identify the basis for it. A workplace tradition or a favourable contract can provide time off without changing the national list of statutory holidays.
The same approach helps with other seasonal closures. Ask whether a closure is a public holiday benefit, annual leave, or paid leave offered under your contract. If a business advertises that it is closed, that notice tells customers about opening hours; it does not explain how every employee’s absence will be treated. Obtain the payroll or HR explanation before making assumptions about your holiday balance.
How to plan leave, appointments and travel
Put the statutory holidays into your calendar first, then add your employer’s confirmed closure dates. Check childcare and school arrangements separately. A family plan works best when the dates for work, care and travel are all confirmed, rather than copied from a single holiday list.
For appointments, contact the particular clinic, public office or service. Do not infer opening hours from the fact that another organisation is open. If you need documents or a decision before travelling, allow room for closures and ask the service about its current arrangements before making a booking that depends on them.
For transport, check your actual route and departure with the official operator. A holiday may change the timetable without cancelling the service entirely. If you drive around Dublin, our M50 toll guide explains the separate payment deadline; a public holiday does not make a road journey automatically toll-free.
What to do if public holiday pay looks wrong
Start with the holiday date, your normal work pattern and the roster for that period. Keep your payslip and a record of hours worked. Write down the benefit you expected and ask your employer which benefit was provided, with the calculation if additional pay was used.
For part-time work, include the relevant hours record so payroll can check qualification. If you worked on the holiday, distinguish payment for the shift from the public holiday benefit. A single total on a payslip can hide that distinction, so request a clear explanation rather than comparing only the amount with an ordinary week.
Read the WRC public holiday guidance and the statutory benefit provisions if the answer remains unclear. Our minimum wage guide covers a different pay check: whether your reckonable hourly pay meets the applicable wage floor. Keep both issues clear when asking for help.
Keep a written holiday record
If you agree a replacement day off, keep the email or roster showing the arrangement. When your payslip arrives, check that the agreed benefit has appeared in the expected form. This is particularly useful when your manager schedules shifts but a separate payroll team calculates pay, because both teams need to be working from the same arrangement.
For a household where adults work different patterns, confirm each person’s position separately before arranging childcare or a trip. A public holiday can be a normal working shift for someone in hospitality or care while another person’s workplace closes. Build the plan around confirmed rosters and agreed benefits, and keep any leave request distinct from the statutory holiday itself.
Common questions
How many public holidays does Ireland have?
Ireland has ten public holidays each year. The WRC lists all the 2026 dates in its official guidance.
Is Good Friday a bank holiday?
Good Friday is not a statutory public holiday in Ireland. Your employer may still offer a contractual day off.
Do I automatically get Monday off after St Stephen’s Day?
No. A weekend public holiday still creates a benefit for eligible employees, but the next working day is not automatically a day off.
Do part-time staff get public holiday benefits?
Part-time workers qualify when they have worked 40 hours in the previous 5 weeks. The benefit then depends on the relevant work pattern and employer’s permitted choice.
Do I lose the benefit if I work that day?
No. You receive pay for the work at your agreed rate and a separate public holiday benefit.
Are these the Northern Ireland dates?
No. This calendar covers the Republic of Ireland. Check the separate calendar for Northern Ireland.
Official sources
- WRC: Public holidays — checked 12 November 2026
- Irish Statute Book: Public holiday entitlement — checked 12 November 2026
- WRC: National minimum wage — checked 12 November 2026
General information only: This guide is not from the Government of Ireland. Rules and individual circumstances can change the outcome. Confirm your position with the official service before making decisions.