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 Mheitheamh | 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. |
Read more about Public Holidays In The Republic Of Ireland: History
Famous quotes containing the words public, republic and/or ireland:
“All public facts are to be individualized, all private facts are to be generalized.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I date the end of the old republic and the birth of the empire to the invention, in the late thirties, of air conditioning. Before air conditioning, Washington was deserted from mid-June to September.... But after air conditioning and the Second World War arrived, more or less at the same time, Congress sits and sits while the presidents—or at least their staffs—never stop making mischief.”
—Gore Vidal (b. 1925)
“Sport and death are the two great socializing factors in Ireland ...”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)