Public Holidays in Ireland 2025: Dates To Remember

As you plan your organization’s activities and events for 2025, it's important to keep track of official bank holidays. The Republic of Ireland, with its diverse cultural tapestry, offers a unique set of holidays that commemorate days of cultural or religious significance.

On bank holidays in Ireland, the majority of businesses shut their doors. Schools are also closed, while other services such as public transport may still run but with reduced frequency. Consequently, it’s important to know when the next bank holiday is coming up so you can plan your work shifts and make any necessary arrangements.

While the Republic of Ireland shares some public holidays with Northern Ireland and other UK countries, it also has a few of it’s own holidays and observances. With remote and cross-border teams becoming more common, it’s useful to be aware of upcoming public holidays in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.

What You Need To Know About Irish Public Holidays

Public holidays are often referred to as bank holidays in Ireland. During the year, the Republic of Ireland has 10 public holidays. Most of them are always observed on a Monday, with the exception of New Year’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day, Christmas Day, and Saint Stephen’s Day. As these holidays are on fixed dates, they fall on a different weekday each year.

While full-time employees are immediately entitled to paid time off for public holidays, the rules are a bit different for part-time employees. They need to have worked for at least 40 hours in the previous five weeks to benefit from paid time off for public holidays.

It’s also important to note that public holidays are not included in employees’ annual leave entitlement, which is a minimum of 20 days for full-time employees. This means that employees in Ireland can celebrate public holidays, while still enjoying at least 20 days of paid leave each year. If employees do have to work on a public holiday, they are entitled to receive either an additional day of annual leave or an additional day’s pay.

For more detailed information about annual leave entitlement and public holidays, visit the Citizens Information website.

Ireland Public Holidays 2025

Irish Bank Holidays in Detail

New Year's Day (Wednesday 1 January)

Marking the first day of the new year, New Year's Day is one of Ireland's most widely celebrated public holidays. It's a day of rest after the celebrations of New Year's Eve and is typically observed with family gatherings, traditional meals, and New Year’s resolutions. This year, the holiday falls on a Wednesday.

St. Brigid's Day / Imbolc (Monday 3 February)

The newest addition to Ireland’s public holidays, St. Brigid’s Day was first celebrated as an official public holiday in 2023. It coincides with the traditional Gaelic festival of Imbolc that marks the beginning of spring. For Christians, it is the feast day of Saint Brigid, the patroness saint of Ireland and one of the country’s three national saints.

Although St. Brigid’s Day is celebrated on the 1 February, the public holiday is always observed on the first Monday of February, unless 1 February happens to fall on a Friday. In 2025, the public holiday falls on 3 February.

St. Patrick's Day (Monday 17 March)

On 17 March, Ireland celebrates its most famous patron saint, Saint Patrick. Marking the traditional date of Saint Patrick’s death, St. Patrick’s Day is Ireland’s national day. It is also widely celebrated in other countries with Irish diaspora, most notably the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, and Russia. While traditional celebrations typically include attending mass and wearing green clothing and shamrocks, modern celebrations are known for large parades that attract tourists from around the world.

St. Patrick’s Day is a fixed-date holiday, meaning that it is always celebrated on the 17th unless it falls on a weekend, in which case it will be moved to a substitute day. In 2025, however, it falls on a Monday.

Easter Monday (Monday 21 April)

Easter Monday is one of the moveable public holidays in Ireland. It can fall on any date between 23 March and 26 April. In 2025, it falls relatively late on 21 April.

For Christians in Ireland, Easter is a significant religious occasion, with families attending special church services and vigils throughout the Easter weekend. Easter Sunday is typically marked with a traditional feast and Easter egg hunts.

While Good Friday is not an official public holiday in Ireland, state schools and many businesses close on that day.

May Day (Monday 5 May)

While May Day is usually celebrated on 1 May around Europe, in Ireland the public holiday falls on the first Monday in May. In 2025, that will be the fifth of the month. May Day is also referred to as the May Bank Holiday, and it coincides with the ancient Celtic festival of Bealtaine (Beltane in English) which marked the beginning of summer.

June Bank Holiday (Monday 2 June)

Less than a month later, Ireland celebrates another public holiday, simply known as the June Bank Holiday. Falling regularly on the first Monday of June, the June Bank Holiday provides a great opportunity for people to enjoy a long weekend in the middle of the year.

August Bank Holiday (Monday 4 August)

On the first Monday of August, Ireland celebrates the August Bank Holiday. Corresponding to the Gaelic festival of Lúnasa, this public holiday marks the transition of the seasons from summer to autumn, providing another long weekend for outdoor activities.

October Bank Holiday (Monday 27 October)

The next public holiday comes on the last Monday of October, which in 2025 will be the 27th of the month. The October Bank Holiday corresponds with the Gaelic seasonal festival Samhain, which marks the beginning of winter.

Christmas Day (Thursday 25 December)

One of the most significant dates of the calendar year, Christmas Day is celebrated in Ireland with a public holiday. On the 25 December, people typically exchange gifts and enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner with family, friends, and loved ones. Many businesses will close early on 24 December, Christmas Eve, and public transport may run a reduced service.

As Christmas Day falls on a Thursday in 2025, there will be a four-day weekend for many workers in Ireland, as the Friday is also a public holiday.

St. Stephen’s Day (Friday 26 December)

The day after Christmas Day, the people of Ireland continue their festive celebrations with St. Stephen’s Day. On this Christian feast day, many people attend church and spend time with their family. It also coincides with the traditional Irish celebration of Lá an Dreoilín (Day of the Wren).

With St. Stephen’s Day falling on a Friday in 2025, many people can look forward to a four-day weekend.

Other Notable Dates in Ireland in 2025

There are several other significant dates in Ireland that, although they are not public holidays, you may want to make a note of.

• Sunday 30 March – Mother’s Day
• Sunday 30 March – Start of Daylight Saving Time; clocks go forward one hour
• Friday 18 April – Good Friday
• Sunday 15 June – Father’s Day
• Sunday 26 October – End of Daylight Saving Time; clock go back one hour
• Wednesday 31 December – New Year’s Eve

Bank Holidays in Northern Ireland

Like the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland also has 10 official bank holidays. Six of these fall on the same day as Irish bank holidays, but there are a few differences to be aware of. Check out our UK bank holidays article for more details on these dates.

• Wednesday 1 January – New Year’s Day
• Monday 17 March – St. Patrick’s Day
• Friday 18 April – Good Friday
• Monday 21 April – Easter Monday
• Monday 5 May – Early May Bank Holiday
• Monday 26 May – Spring Bank Holiday
• Monday 14 July – Battle of the Boyne / Orangemen’s Day
• Monday 25 August – Summer Bank Holiday
• Thursday 25 December – Christmas Day
• Friday 26 December – Boxing Day

Get Set for 2025

As your plan for the year ahead, it’s helpful to be aware of upcoming bank holidays in Ireland. As an employer, you need to ensure that you are prepared for these dates, offering staff the paid leave or additional day’s pay that they are entitled to.

With an HR solution like flair, it’s easier to manage holiday allowances, shifts, and payroll on public holidays. Our software comes complete with an intuitive working time tracker, absence management system, shift planner, and payroll solution. These help you to get a reliable overview of hours worked, scheduled shifts, and staff availability – even if your business operates at multiple locations in different countries.

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