Ireland currently enjoys ten bank holidays a year, which is far less than the European average of 13 long weekends.
The February Bank Holiday was first introduced in 2023 and marks the first time a female Saint has been acknowledged in Ireland.
Opposition parties such as the Green Party and People Before Profit have called on the Government to consider adding more bank holidays.
The Irish Independent reports that an additional bank holiday would cost the country around €355 million.
The publication added that a People Before Profit spokesperson is hopeful of an additional three bank holidays.
The idea is that the long weekends could be the first Monday of July, the last Monday in September and the last Monday in November.
A survey carried out by the paper found that 80% of people would be up for another long weekend, with just under a quarter appealing for it to take place on Good Friday.
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It’s been a lovely couple of weeks with Bank Holidays galore — the St Patrick’s Day weekend took place just two weeks before Easter, and the May Bank Holiday will take place in four weeks time.
Following that, the June Bank Holiday falls on June 1, and the August Bank Holiday weekend takes place on August 3.
There will be some reprieve for a few weeks before the Halloween Bank holiday takes place on October 26.
As it stands, July, September and November are the only months that don’t have a bank holiday weekend.
A bank holiday weekend results in workers getting an additional day off, be that the day of the holiday or a day in return.
If the holiday falls on a day not deemed a normal working day, such as a Saturday or Sunday, workers are still entitled to a benefit for the holiday.
* This article was originally published in 2026.
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