If you’re already mapping out your 2026 calendar, you’ll find Ireland offers 10 public holidays, according to Eskimo Travel (travel advisory), with a notable feature: six of them fall on a Monday. That means a series of long weekends for those who qualify.

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Number of public holidays in Ireland 2026: 10 · Number of bank holidays: 10 · First holiday date: January 1, 2026 · Last holiday date: December 26, 2026 · Holidays falling on Monday: 6 out of 10

Quick snapshot

1Key Dates
  • New Year’s Day: Jan 1 – Eskimo Travel
  • St. Brigid’s Day: Feb 2 – Eskimo Travel
  • St. Patrick’s Day: Mar 17 – Eskimo Travel
  • Easter Monday: Apr 6 – Eskimo Travel
  • May Bank Holiday: May 4 – Eskimo Travel
  • June Bank Holiday: Jun 1 – Eskimo Travel
  • August Bank Holiday: Aug 3 – Eskimo Travel
  • October Bank Holiday: Oct 26 – Eskimo Travel
  • Christmas Day: Dec 25 – Eskimo Travel
  • St. Stephen’s Day: Dec 26 – Eskimo Travel
2Long Weekends
3Holiday Types
4Employment Rights
  • Employees entitled to paid leave on public holidays – Citizens Information
  • Alternative arrangements if required to work – Citizens Information
  • Part-time employees qualify based on hours – Citizens Information

Ten dates, one pattern: six of them land on a Monday, giving Irish workers a built-in long weekend every few weeks from February through October. The table below compiles all dates from Eskimo Travel and Ireland.com.

Holiday Date (2026) Day of Week
New Year’s Day January 1 Thursday
St. Brigid’s Day February 2 Monday
St. Patrick’s Day March 17 Tuesday
Easter Monday April 6 Monday
May Bank Holiday May 4 Monday
June Bank Holiday June 1 Monday
August Bank Holiday August 3 Monday
October Bank Holiday October 26 Monday
Christmas Day December 25 Friday
St. Stephen’s Day December 26 Saturday
The upshot

With six Monday holidays, Irish workers gain a potential six long weekends on top of their annual leave. For employers, that means scheduling gaps every few weeks — especially in industries with shift patterns, where Danske Bank (corporate banking) notes that outgoing payments will not be processed on bank holidays.

What are the main holidays for 2026 in Ireland?

List of all 10 public holidays in 2026

  • New Year’s Day – January 1 (Eskimo Travel)
  • St. Brigid’s Day – February 2 (Ireland.com)
  • St. Patrick’s Day – March 17 (Eskimo Travel)
  • Easter Monday – April 6 (Bank of Ireland UK (financial institution))
  • May Bank Holiday – May 4 (Bank of Ireland UK)
  • June Bank Holiday – June 1 (Ireland.com)
  • August Bank Holiday – August 3 (Ireland.com)
  • October Bank Holiday – October 26 (Ireland.com)
  • Christmas Day – December 25 (Eskimo Travel)
  • St. Stephen’s Day – December 26 (Eskimo Travel)

Which holidays fall on a Monday?

  • St. Brigid’s Day (February 2)
  • Easter Monday (April 6)
  • May Bank Holiday (May 4)
  • June Bank Holiday (June 1)
  • August Bank Holiday (August 3)
  • October Bank Holiday (October 26)

These six Monday holidays come from the set confirmed by Ireland.com for the Republic of Ireland.

When is St. Patrick’s Day?

St. Patrick’s Day falls on March 17, 2026 (a Tuesday), as confirmed by Eskimo Travel. This is a public holiday across Ireland, though Ireland.com notes that Good Friday is not an official public holiday in the Republic.

Why this matters

March 17 lands on a Tuesday, meaning no immediate long weekend. However, combined with the Easter Monday holiday on April 6, workers have a cluster of days off across late March and early April. Employers should plan for a short week the week of March 16–20.

The pattern: St. Patrick’s Day on a Tuesday breaks the Monday streak, but the cluster with Easter Monday creates a break in early April.

How many bank holidays are there in 2026 in Ireland?

Difference between public holidays and bank holidays

In Ireland, the terms are used interchangeably: all 10 public holidays are also bank holidays. According to Ireland.com (tourism board), the Republic of Ireland’s list includes 2 February, 4 May, 1 June, 3 August, and 26 October as bank holidays, but every public holiday listed above qualifies. Citizens Information (official Irish government service) confirms that the Organisation of Working Time Act defines the nine traditional public holidays, with St. Brigid’s Day added from 2023.

Number of bank holidays: 10

There are exactly 10 bank holidays in 2026, matching the number of public holidays. Bank of Ireland UK lists 1 January, 2 February, 17 March, 3 April (Good Friday not a public holiday but observed by some), 6 April, 4 May, 1 June, 3 August, 26 October, 25 December, and notes that 28 and 29 December are target closing days for the bank.

Bottom line: Ireland treats public holidays and bank holidays as the same thing. All 10 days trigger the same legal and banking impacts. For employers, the distinction is irrelevant; for anyone expecting a bank payment, Danske Bank (corporate banking) clarifies that outgoing payments will not be processed on these dates.

The implication: employers must treat all 10 days equally for payroll and scheduling.

Is March 16, 2026 a bank holiday?

Why March 16 is not a bank holiday

March 16, 2026 is a Monday and a regular working day. It is not a public holiday, bank holiday, or statutory day off in Ireland. The confusion may arise because St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) falls on a Tuesday, so some assume the Monday before is a holiday — it is not. Eskimo Travel and Ireland.com both list March 17, not March 16, as the public holiday.

St. Patrick’s Day on March 17

March 17 is a public holiday in Ireland. It falls on a Tuesday in 2026, which means businesses and most services will be closed that day, but the surrounding days remain standard working days. Ireland.com notes that on Christmas Day almost everything is closed, and the same applies to St. Patrick’s Day for many businesses.

Is March 17, 2026 a public holiday?

St. Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in Ireland

Yes, March 17 is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland. It is one of the 10 designated public holidays for 2026. Eskimo Travel lists it as a national holiday, and Bank of Ireland UK includes it in its bank holiday schedule. The day commemorates Ireland’s patron saint and is marked by parades and closures nationwide.

Date: March 17, 2026 (Tuesday)

The day falls on a Tuesday in 2026. This means employees and students have a single day off midweek. Citizens Information explains that employees who work on a public holiday are entitled to either a paid day off later or additional pay, depending on their contract.

When are the bank holiday dates in Ireland in 2026?

February bank holiday: February 2 (St. Brigid’s Day)

St. Brigid’s Day, Ireland’s newest public holiday, falls on February 2, 2026 (Monday). It was added to the calendar in 2023. Ireland.com includes it in its Republic of Ireland public holiday list.

May bank holiday: May 4

The first Monday in May falls on May 4 in 2026. Bank of Ireland UK lists it as a bank holiday, and Ireland.com confirms it for the Republic.

June bank holiday: June 1

The first Monday in June is June 1, 2026. This is a standard public and bank holiday across Ireland. Source: Eskimo Travel.

August bank holiday: August 3

The first Monday in August is August 3, 2026. Ireland.com lists it as a Republic of Ireland public holiday. Note that Northern Ireland observes a different August holiday later in the month.

October bank holiday: October 26

The last Monday of October falls on October 26, 2026. Eskimo Travel and Bank of Ireland UK both list this date. It is the final bank holiday before the Christmas period.

Bottom line: The five movable bank holidays (February, May, June, August, October) all fall on Monday, giving workers a three-day weekend each time. For payroll and payment processing, Danske Bank confirms no outgoing payments on these dates, so businesses should adjust schedules accordingly.

The catch: the Monday holidays are spaced evenly, but the Christmas period requires separate planning.

Confirmed facts

  • All public holiday dates for 2026 are fixed by law or falling-day rules, as recorded by Eskimo Travel and Ireland.com.
  • March 16 is not a holiday — confirmed by both sources.
  • March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, a public holiday.

What’s unclear

  • No new statutory holiday has been announced for 2026. The current 10-holiday calendar is expected to remain unchanged, but no official 2026 announcement from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has been published as of early 2025.
  • The observance of Good Friday as a de facto holiday by some businesses is not officially a public holiday.
  • Whether the government will announce an additional one-off holiday later in 2025 or 2026 remains speculative.

These three points are well-documented and consistent across official sources.

What the experts say

Public holidays are days when most businesses close and employees generally have a day off. In Ireland, the law sets out the minimum entitlement for these days, including pay and time off.

— Citizens Information (official Irish government service)

Employers should plan for bank holidays well in advance, especially for shift-based roles where staffing gaps can disrupt operations. Knowing the dates a year ahead allows for fair scheduling and avoids last-minute conflicts.

— Purple Tree HR (employment law specialist), via Citizens Information reference

The 2026 calendar gives Irish workers six clear long weekends from February to October, plus a midweek break for St. Patrick’s Day and the Christmas double-header. For employers, the implication is clear: plan your 2026 rosters around these dates or risk operational gaps and payment delays. For employees, it’s about maximising those six Monday holidays to book annual leave around the edges — turning a three-day weekend into four or five. Either way, the calendar is set, and the pattern is simple: 10 public holidays, six Mondays, and no surprises.

Related reading: Dunnes Ennis Opening Hours – Today, Sunday, Bank Holidays · Christmas & New Year Social Welfare Payments 2025/2026

For a detailed breakdown of every official day off, including the new St. Brigid’s Day, see this complete list of Irelands 2026 public holidays.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there an extra bank holiday in 2026?

No. Ireland has 10 public holidays in 2026, which is the standard annual number. No additional one-off bank holiday has been announced for 2026.

When is Easter Monday 2026?

Easter Monday falls on April 6, 2026. It is a public holiday in Ireland.

What is the difference between a public holiday and a bank holiday?

In the Republic of Ireland, there is no practical difference. All public holidays are also bank holidays, meaning banks and most businesses close. The terms are used interchangeably.

Do all shops close on bank holidays in Ireland?

Not all. Large shops over 280 m² must close on St. Patrick’s Day, Easter Sunday (not a public holiday), and Christmas Day. Other bank holidays may see reduced hours but many shops remain open.

Are schools closed on public holidays?

Yes, schools are closed on all public holidays, including the Monday bank holidays and the Christmas break.

What happens if a public holiday falls on a weekend?

If a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, employees are often entitled to a day off in lieu on a working day. The exact entitlement depends on contract and industry agreements.

Is March 16, 2026 a regular working day?

Yes, March 16 is a normal Monday working day. It is not a public holiday. Only March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day) is the designated day off.