Ireland’s bank holidays are confirmed for 2026 with a bonus day to look forward to later this year
Some big dates are changing for 2026’s Public Holiday calendar(Image: Getty Images)
We’re already one bank holiday down in 2026 as workers across the country gear up to return to normality starting Monday.
With Ireland’s complete list of 2026 bank holidays now finalised, it serves as a useful reference for those organising getaways, family gatherings or simply some much needed relaxation time.
There are ten bank holidays altogether this year, with the majority of workers entitled to paid time off under the Organisation of Working Time Act.
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Whilst schools and numerous businesses shut their doors, services like public transport remain operational, typically with reduced timetables.
So farm the sole bank holiday to have occurred is today’s New Year’s Day.
Following this, there will be a consistent flow of breaks throughout February, March, April, May and June, continuing into August and October, before concluding with Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day in December.
A significant alteration for 2026 occurs towards year’s end.
St Stephen’s Day (26th December) lands on a Saturday, meaning most workers are entitled to a replacement benefit – essentially an additional day off – to makeup for the public holiday occurring on a weekend.
According to Citizens’ Information: “If the public holiday falls on a day which is not a normal working day for that business (for example, on Saturday or Sunday), you are still entitled to benefit for that public holiday. However, you do not have any automatic legal entitlement to have the next working day off work.”
The Irish Government has verified that employers must offer one of the following alternatives:
- a paid day off within a month of that day
- an additional day of annual leave
- an additional day of pay
This alteration signifies that numerous Irish workers will relish an extra holiday during the festive period later this year.
The impact of this change will be even more noticeable in 2027 when both Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day land on the weekend – Saturday and Sunday – potentially providing two additional days off for many employees, subject to employer arrangements.
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