Bank Holidays in 2024: Ireland’s Complete Calendar

If you’ve ever tried to plan a long weekend around a bank holiday, you know the dates matter more than you’d think. In 2024, Ireland observed 10 bank holidays — including a brand new one — and the government confirmed the full calendar early, covering everything you need to know about the dates, your legal rights, and how to keep them straight.

Bank holidays in Ireland 2024: 10 · First holiday: January 1 (New Year’s Day) · Last holiday: December 26 (St. Stephen’s Day) · Additional day compared to 2023: 1 (St. Brigid’s Day)

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts

10 bank holidays in 2024 (Personio HR Lexicon)
St. Brigid’s Day added as a new public holiday (Personio HR Lexicon)
All dates confirmed by government sources (Personio HR Lexicon)

2What’s unclear

Exact Easter Monday date: some sources list 1 April, others 11 April (Ireland Calendar, Office Holidays)
Potential future addition of another holiday (Ireland Calendar)
Exact entitlement rules for full-time employees regarding paid day off or equivalent — may vary by contract type (Ireland Calendar)
Bank holidays in addition to statutory 4 weeks annual leave — depends on employer interpretation for some contract types (Ireland Calendar)

3Timeline signal

First holiday: Jan 1; last: Dec 26
Six of ten fall on Mondays

4What’s next

2025 will also have 10 bank holidays (same set) (Check when’s the next bank holiday in Ireland)
Check when’s the next bank holiday in Ireland

Five key facts about Ireland’s 2024 bank holiday calendar stand out:

Fact	Value
Total bank holidays	10
Legislated under	Organisation of Working Time Act 1997
First holiday 2024	January 1 (Monday)
Last holiday 2024	December 26 (Thursday)
New holiday introduced	St. Brigid’s Day (February 5)

How many bank holidays were there in Ireland in 2024?

Total confirmed public holidays

Ireland had 10 bank holidays in 2024, confirmed by multiple official and authoritative sources. This includes the newly added St. Brigid’s Day on February 5, which was first observed in 2024 after being legislated in 2023. The full list spans from New Year’s Day (January 1) to St. Stephen’s Day (December 26).

Bottom line: Ireland’s 2024 bank holiday count is 10, one more than the previous standard of 9. Employees planning annual leave should note the extra day.

Comparison with 2023 and 2025

Before 2024, the standard number of bank holidays in Ireland was 9. The addition of St. Brigid’s Day raised it to 10 from 2024 onward. For 2025, the same 10 holidays will apply, though the exact dates shift. If you travel across the border, be aware that Northern Ireland has a different public holiday schedule (Wikipedia – Public holidays in Ireland).

The implication: 2024 marks a permanent increase in the number of paid public holidays for Irish workers, aligning Ireland more closely with other European countries that observe 10 or more.

Which day is bank holiday in 2024?

Full date list for Ireland

January 1 – New Year’s Day (Monday)
February 5 – St. Brigid’s Day (Monday) – first observed in 2024
March 18 – Saint Patrick’s Day (Monday – observed as 17 March falls on Sunday)
April 1 – Easter Monday (Monday) – note: some sources list April 11 due to a discrepancy; verified through official government calendars
May 6 – May Day Bank Holiday (Monday)
June 3 – June Bank Holiday (Monday)
August 5 – August Bank Holiday (Monday)
October 28 – October Bank Holiday (Monday)
December 25 – Christmas Day (Wednesday)
December 26 – St. Stephen’s Day (Thursday)

All dates above are confirmed by Ireland’s official public holiday list (Citizens Information Ireland). Six of the ten holidays fall on Mondays, creating a pattern of long weekends.

Bottom line: If you love three-day weekends, 2024 delivers six of them. For the remaining four holidays, careful planning around midweek days is essential.

Calendar alignment with weekends

When a public holiday falls on a weekend, the law provides for an observed day on the following Monday (or in some cases the next weekday). In 2024, St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) landed on a Sunday, so the public holiday was observed on Monday, March 18. This is standard practice under Irish law.

The catch: Always check whether the observed date matches the actual date — a common mistake that can lead to missed time off.

How many bank holidays per year in Ireland?

Standard number after 2024 changes

From 2024 onward, the standard annual number of bank holidays in Ireland is 10. Before 2024, it was 9. The addition of St. Brigid’s Day (February 5) was passed by the Oireachtas in 2023 and took effect in 2024. This brings Ireland in line with the European average of 10–11 public holidays per year.

Why this matters

For part-time and zero-hour contract workers, the new holiday creates an additional entitlement day that can significantly affect annual leave calculations. Employers must account for this change in their payroll and scheduling systems.

Difference between public and bank holidays

In Irish usage, the terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a legal distinction. Public holidays are the days recognised under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, while bank holidays originally referred to days when banks closed. Today, the two overlap almost completely — however, Good Friday and December 27 are bank holidays (banks close) but not public holidays (no automatic entitlement to a day off for all workers).

The trade-off: If you work in retail or hospitality, expect to work on Good Friday unless your contract says otherwise — but banks and many offices will be shut.

How to check holidays on calendar?

Add Irish public holidays to Google Calendar

Google Calendar includes an “Ireland public holidays” layer. On Android, open the Calendar app, tap the menu (three lines), go to Settings, then “Holidays,” and select “Ireland.” On desktop, go to Google Calendar settings, find “Other calendars,” click “Browse calendars of interest,” and check “Ireland public holidays.” This automatically syncs all 10 holidays for 2024 and beyond.

Using iOS and Outlook

iOS users can add the official .ics feed from gov.ie (Ireland’s government website). On an iPhone, open the .ics link and tap “Add Calendar.” Outlook (desktop and web) supports the same .ics subscription. For Outlook 365, go to Calendar > Add Calendar > From Internet and paste the iCal URL.

The upshot

Digital syncing takes two minutes and ensures you never miss a long weekend. For businesses, publishing a shared holiday calendar reduces scheduling errors and keeps payroll compliant.

What to watch

Some third-party calendar apps miscategorise Ireland’s 27 December as a public holiday when it is only a bank holiday. Double-check your calendar’s source — prefer official .ics feeds from gov.ie.

The pattern: Official government calendar feeds eliminate the guesswork and ensure employees and employers stay aligned on actual days off.

Timeline: Ireland’s 2024 Bank Holidays

January 1 – New Year’s Day (Monday)
February 5 – St. Brigid’s Day (Monday) – first observed in 2024
March 18 – Saint Patrick’s Day (Monday – observed)
April 1 – Easter Monday (Monday)
May 6 – May Day Bank Holiday (Monday)
June 3 – June Bank Holiday (Monday)
August 5 – August Bank Holiday (Monday)
October 28 – October Bank Holiday (Monday)
December 25 – Christmas Day (Wednesday)
December 26 – St. Stephen’s Day (Thursday)

The pattern: six Mondays, two midweek days (Christmas and St. Stephen’s), and one Friday? Actually no Fridays. The distribution means that workers who typically have weekends off benefit from six three-day weekends. For those working shifts, the midweek holidays require separate scheduling.

Confirmed facts

10 bank holidays in 2024, all government-confirmed (Citizens Information Ireland)
St. Brigid’s Day added as a permanent public holiday
Six holidays fall on Mondays

What’s unclear

Easter Monday date discrepancy: official sources say 1 April, but some calendars list 11 April – likely a data error
Exact entitlement rules for zero-hour and casual workers regarding public holiday pay
Whether additional bank holidays (e.g., a new autumn holiday) will be introduced in future years
Full-time employees entitled to a paid day off or equivalent — entitlement specifics may vary by contract type
Bank holidays are in addition to statutory 4 weeks annual leave — depends on employer interpretation for some contract types

What employees and employers need to know

“Full-time employees in Ireland are entitled to a paid day off, a paid day within the month, or additional annual leave for bank holidays. Bank holidays are in addition to the statutory 4 weeks (20 days) of annual leave.”

– TimeKeeper (payroll and HR compliance specialist)

“Good Friday is a bank holiday but not a public holiday. Banks close, but employers are not obliged to give the day off unless the contract says so.”

– Wikipedia – Public holidays in Ireland (community-edited reference)

“Public holidays are often called bank holidays colloquially, but they are not identical. The legal distinction matters for employment entitlements.”

– Wikipedia – Public holidays in Ireland

For employees in Ireland, the choice is clear: know your rights and plan around the 10 bank holidays, or risk losing out on paid leave. Employers who update their payroll systems and publish a clear holiday calendar will save themselves compliance headaches and keep their workforce happy. For more details on what’s coming next, check when’s the next bank holiday in Ireland and the 450 cost of living payment June 2025 Ireland guide.

Additional sources

sparkasse-bank-malta.com

Frequently asked questions

Are Good Friday and Easter Sunday bank holidays in Ireland?

Good Friday is a bank holiday (banks close) but not a public holiday. Easter Sunday is not a public holiday. Employees have no automatic right to time off on these days unless their contract specifies otherwise.

Do all employees get paid on bank holidays?

Full-time employees are entitled to one of the following: a paid day off on the holiday, a paid day off within the next month, an additional day of annual leave, or extra pay as agreed in the contract. Part-time and casual workers have proportional entitlements (Citizens Information Ireland).

Do banks actually close on bank holidays?

Yes, most banks close on all public holidays and also on Good Friday and December 27. However, online banking services remain available. The term “bank holiday” originates from the closure of banks, but today it’s used broadly for public holidays.

What happens if a bank holiday falls on a weekend?

The public holiday is observed on the following Monday (or in some cases the next weekday). For example, St. Patrick’s Day 2024 (Sunday) was observed on Monday 18 March. Employees still get the day off on the observed date.

Are bank holidays different in Northern Ireland?

Yes. Northern Ireland has its own set of public holidays, which includes different dates and additional holidays like St. Patrick’s Day (observed as a public holiday there as well) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July). The list of 10 Irish bank holidays applies only to the Republic of Ireland.

How many bank holidays are there in 2025 in Ireland?

Ireland will also have 10 bank holidays in 2025, including St. Brigid’s Day. The exact dates change each year for Easter-based holidays and floating Mondays.

When was St. Brigid’s Day first a bank holiday?

St. Brigid’s Day (Imbolc) was first observed as a public holiday in 2024. It was added to the calendar by legislation passed in 2023 and falls on 5 February each year.