The Government is facing calls for additional bank holiday weekends to be added to the calendar as Ireland currently lags behind the European average
Desk calendar (file photo)(Image: Getty Images)
The June bank holiday weekend is finally here, giving many people a welcome day off work or school on Monday.
Currently, there are 10 bank holidays a year in Ireland after St Bridget’s Day was introduced in 2023. While schools and many businesses close, services such as public transport continue to operate, often with reduced schedules.
With the June Hank Holiday weekend upon us, we are past the halfway point of this year’s Bank Holiday lot – and we have a while to wait till the next one, with the next month holiday not set to arrive until Monday, August 3.
Looking ahead to the end of the year, there is one notable change compared to last year. St Stephen’s Day (December 26) falls on a Saturday, which means most workers are entitled to a substitute benefit – effectively an extra day off – to compensate for the public holiday landing on a weekend. So, many Irish workers can expect a bonus day off around Christmas in 2026.
According to Citizen’s Information: “If the public holiday falls on a day which is not a normal working day for that business (for example, on Saturday or Sunday), you are still entitled to benefit for that public holiday. However, you do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work.”
The Irish Government has confirmed that employers must offer one of the following options:
a paid day off within a month of that dayan additional day of annual leavean additional day of pay
Ireland has 10 bank holidays in total this year, and TDs have said there is room in the calendar for another with two dates touted as possible options(Image: baona via Getty Images)
This change will be even more pronounced in 2027 when both Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day will fall on the weekend – Saturday and Sunday – meaning two extra days off could be on offer for many workers, depending on employer arrangements.
Remaining 2026 bank holidays
Monday, August 3 – August Bank HolidayMonday, October 26 – October Bank HolidayFriday, December 25 – Christmas DaySaturday, December 26 – St Stephen’s Day
However, as the next bank holiday arrives, pressure is growing to increase the number of days off in Ireland to bring the country more in line with our EU neighbours.
Cyprus and Lithuania has the highest number of bank holidays in Europe, with workers enjoying around 15 days off per year. Most areas of Spain have 14 bank holidays each year while Portugal has 13 mandatory holidays.
Ireland currently sits on 10, with only Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands having fewer with nine.
Calls for change are growing, with some opposition parties urging the Government to expand Ireland’s number of bank holidays.
The Green Party has called for one extra day, while People Before Profit has called for three additional public holidays.
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman has said there is room in the calendar for another Bank Holiday and touted Good Friday or the first weekend in July as possible options.
“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,” O’Gorman said.
“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.”
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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