If you’re already planning your 2026 calendar, you might be wondering exactly how many days off Ireland offers — and when they fall. The answer is ten public holidays, including a newer addition that shifts the rhythm of the year. Below you’ll find every confirmed date, how Easter is calculated, and where Ireland sits in the global holiday league.

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Number of bank holidays in Ireland 2026: 10 · Easter Monday 2026: April 6 · Newest public holiday: St. Brigid’s Day (added 2023) · Country with the most public holidays: Cambodia (28) · Ireland’s global rank: Tied for 34th (10 holidays) · Next Irish holiday after October 2025: New Year’s Day (January 1, 2026)

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
3Timeline signal
4What’s next

All ten dates, a quick pattern: they cluster heavily around winter and spring, with a long summer gap between August and October.

Holiday Date 2026 Day of the week
New Year’s Day January 1 Thursday
St. Brigid’s Day February 2 Monday
St. Patrick’s Day March 17 Tuesday
Good Friday April 3 Friday
Easter Monday April 6 Monday
May Day 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
Bottom line: The pattern: nine of the ten land on Mondays or Fridays, giving most workers a long weekend. The exception is St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on a Tuesday in 2026 — a lone midweek break.

What are the Bank Holidays in Ireland in 2026?

New Year’s Day (January 1)

St. Brigid’s Day (February 2)

St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)

Good Friday (April 3)

  • Friday, 3 April 2026 — a bank holiday for many employers but not a statutory public holiday (Citizens Information official government website)

Easter Monday (April 6)

  • Monday, 6 April 2026 — a public holiday across Ireland (Citizens Information official government website)

May Day (May 4)

  • Monday, 4 May 2026 — the first Monday in May (Ireland.com national tourism authority)

June Bank Holiday (June 1)

August Bank Holiday (August 3)

October Bank Holiday (October 26)

  • Monday, 26 October 2026 — the last Monday in October (PublicHolidays.ie holiday calendar publisher)

Christmas Day (December 25)

  • Friday, 25 December 2026

St. Stephen’s Day (December 26)

  • Saturday, 26 December 2026 (Eskimo Travel holiday calendar aggregator)
Bottom line: Ireland’s 2026 holiday calendar gives workers ten fixed dates, nine of which produce long weekends. Employers should note that St. Stephen’s Day falls on a Saturday, meaning the observed day for many workers shifts to Monday 28 December — a detail captured in some banking calendars (Danske Bank (financial institution holiday schedule)).

What are the Easter dates in 2026?

Good Friday 2026

  • April 3, 2026

Easter Sunday 2026

  • April 5, 2026

Easter Monday 2026

  • April 6, 2026 — a public holiday in Ireland (Citizens Information official government website)

Easter’s date follows the lunar calendar: it falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (Farmer’s Almanac (astronomical dating reference)). In 2026, that calculation places Easter Sunday on April 5 — relatively early in the spring calendar.

The pattern

Because Easter can land anywhere between late March and late April, Good Friday and Easter Monday slide each year — the only two holiday dates in Ireland’s calendar that are not fixed to a specific day of the month.

The implication: for payroll and leave planning, Easter 2026 is uncommonly early. Employers should confirm their holiday schedule well before March.

What is the next Irish holiday?

As of late 2025, the next bank holiday on Ireland’s calendar is New Year’s Day on January 1, 2026 (Eskimo Travel holiday calendar aggregator). The full 2026 schedule is published and fixed.

Bottom line: Workers and businesses waiting for the next day off after October 2025 face a three-month gap until January 1. For anyone planning a break, the entire 2026 calendar is available now from government and tourism sources.

Which country has the most bank holidays in a year?

Top countries with most public holidays

  • Cambodia leads globally with 28 public holidays per year (World Atlas (geographic reference publisher))
  • Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal each have between 18 and 21
  • Spain, Italy, and Austria exceed 10, with regional holidays boosting their totals

Ireland’s ranking

  • Ireland’s 10 public holidays place it tied for approximately 34th globally (Statista data research platform)
  • The global average is roughly 12 holidays per year

The pattern: countries with strong religious traditions or multiple cultural calendars (like Cambodia, with Buddhist and royal holidays) dominate the top of the list. Ireland’s 10 puts it slightly below the global average.

The trade-off

Ireland compensates for fewer public holidays with generous statutory annual leave — 20 days for most full-time workers by law (Citizens Information official government website). Holiday count alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

What this means for Irish workers: 10 public holidays is not unusually low, but it is below the global average. The trade-off is Ireland’s relatively high statutory annual leave entitlement, which pushes total days off closer to the European norm.

Who has the least bank holidays in the world?

Countries with fewest public holidays

  • Mexico has 7 public holidays — one of the lowest counts globally (World Atlas (geographic reference publisher))
  • United Kingdom has 8 public holidays
  • Some countries have no officially mandated public holidays, though these are rare

How Ireland compares

  • Ireland’s 10 is above Mexico by 3 and above the UK by 2
  • Ireland and Northern Ireland differ: Northern Ireland has 10 as well, but with a different set of holidays (e.g., no St. Brigid’s Day)

The catch: definitions of “public holiday” vary between countries. Some count only national statutory holidays, while others include regional and religious observances. By most measures, Ireland sits comfortably in the middle of the global distribution (Business Insider (business news publisher)).

Are bank holidays in Ireland paid?

Yes. Under the Organisation of Working Time Act, employees are entitled to paid leave on public holidays if they meet certain conditions — typically, having worked for the employer for at least 40 hours in the five weeks before the holiday (Citizens Information official government website).

Why this matters

Part-time and casual workers often miss the threshold, meaning they don’t automatically get paid for public holidays. The rule creates a gap that disproportionately affects hospitality and retail workers — two sectors with high part-time employment in Ireland.

What happens if a bank holiday falls on a weekend?

In Ireland, when a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, there is no automatic legal right to a replacement day off. However, many employment contracts and collective agreements provide for the following Monday (or an alternative day). St. Stephen’s Day 2026 (December 26) is a Saturday — some employers schedule the following Monday (December 28) as an observed holiday (Danske Bank financial institution holiday schedule).

Is Good Friday a public holiday in Ireland?

Good Friday is a bank holiday — meaning banks and many businesses close — but it is not a statutory public holiday under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (Citizens Information official government website). This means employees have no automatic legal right to paid leave on Good Friday, though many receive it voluntarily.

How many bank holidays does Ireland have in 2026?

The Republic of Ireland has 10 bank holidays (public holidays) in 2026. A partial list: New Year’s Day, St. Brigid’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter Monday, May Bank Holiday, June Bank Holiday, August Bank Holiday, October Bank Holiday, Christmas Day, and St. Stephen’s Day. Good Friday adds an 11th day of closure for many employers but is not counted among statutory public holidays (Citizens Information official government website).

All 10 bank holiday dates for 2026 as published by the Irish government.

— Citizens Information (official government website)

St. Brigid’s Day is a public holiday observed on the first Monday of February since 2023.

— Government of Ireland press release (Government of Ireland (official press release))

Easter date is calculated based on the lunar calendar (first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox).

— Farmer’s Almanac (astronomical dating reference)

For Irish workers and businesses planning 2026, the calendar is now fully confirmed. The practical takeaway: nine of the ten holidays create long weekends, St. Brigid’s Day is here to stay, and Easter’s early April date means spring planning starts sooner than in many years. The real difference from the UK is that Ireland includes St. Brigid’s Day and Easter Monday as public holidays (Citizens Information official government website). For anyone comparing holiday entitlements globally, Ireland’s 10 sits below average — but combined with 20 statutory annual leave days, the total time off is competitive. The choice for Irish employers is clear: confirm your observed holiday schedule now, or risk confusion when St. Stephen’s Day lands on a Saturday and staff expect Monday off.

Do all businesses close on bank holidays in Ireland?

No. Banks and many government offices close, but retail, hospitality, and essential services often remain open. Sunday trading rules apply on public holidays falling on a Sunday.

How are bank holidays different from public holidays?

In common usage the terms are interchangeable in Ireland, but legally “public holiday” is the term used in the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. “Bank holiday” is a traditional term referring to days when banks close (Citizens Information official government website).

When was St. Brigid’s Day added as a public holiday?

St. Brigid’s Day was announced as a new public holiday in 2023, with the first observance in February 2023 (Government of Ireland official press release).

What is the May bank holiday in Ireland?

The May Bank Holiday is the first Monday in May, known as May Day. In 2026 it falls on May 4 (Ireland.com national tourism authority).

What is the October bank holiday called?

The October Bank Holiday is the last Monday in October and is often associated with the October public holiday in Ireland. It has no specific name beyond October Bank Holiday (PublicHolidays.ie holiday calendar publisher).