Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said there is room in the calendar for another and touted Good Friday or the first weekend in July as possible options.
People enjoy nice weather and the Howth cliff path loop walk(Image: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Green Party is leading calls for a new Bank Holiday in Ireland.
Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said there is room in the calendar for another and touted Good Friday or the first weekend in July as possible options.
At present, there are 10 bank holidays a year in Ireland after St Bridget’s Day was introduced in 2023.
But this is still two less than the European average.
O’Gorman said: “We have some of the highest labour productivity in the EU, workers generate the wealth our country enjoys and I think it is important the Government recognises leisure time or time they can spend with their families.
“There is definitely room there and we would look at either converting Good Friday from a public holiday into a full bank holiday because a lot of private sector workers do not get to enjoy that.
“The other option would be a bank holiday on the first weekend of July to allow people to have some time off over the summer.”
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman(Image: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos)
Meanwhile, Councillor and Party Chair, Janet Horner said: “We know that most people in Ireland are hard workers, and we think there needs to be more acknowledgment of that.
“Irish people get fewer bank holidays than most of their European counterparts, and with people feeling the effects of both the cost of living and energy crises, an additional day off would benefit people in giving them rest and not leaving them out of pocket.”
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