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:
“Along the highway, all but lost among blatant neon lights flashing ‘Whiskey’ and ‘Dance and Dine,’ are crudely daubed warnings erected by itinerant evangelists, announcing that ‘Jesus is soon coming,’ or exhorting the traveler to ‘prepare to meet thy God.’”
—For the State of Florida, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)
“Absolute virtue is impossible and the republic of forgiveness leads, with implacable logic, to the republic of the guillotine.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)
“They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. Mists gather here, and sea fog, and eerie stories. That’s not because there are more ghosts here than in other places, mind you. It’s just that people who live hereabouts are strangely aware of them.”
—Dodie Smith, and Lewis Allen. Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland)