Bank holidays and public holidays in Ireland


Ae1d8220c318f41b08abb8121e8355223 “Bank holiday” is the name given in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland holidays traditionally enjoyed by bank workers and these have  now spread to other sectors as a national holiday where only essential services as fire, ambulance, medical, police, etc, stay working.

Each year, Ireland has nine public holidays. Six of these commemorate an event or person with the other three being general bank holidays. 

The bank holidays are:

  1. The June bank holiday, the first Monday in June (1 June 2015)
    keep-calm-its-a-bank-holiday-weekendThe weather in Ireland is often mild and pleasant at the start of June so many people spend time outside over the June Holiday weekend. Popular activities and events include: picnics, barbecues, open-air concerts of traditional or modern music, family camping, walking or sailing, arts, cultural and musical festivals around the country, marathons…Other people use the June Bank Holiday weekend to take a short early summer break  or vacation in Ireland or abroad.
  2. The May bank holiday “May Day”, the first Monday in May (4 May 2015)
    Around this weekend, Spring should truly arrived in Ireland, when warmer weather begins and flowers and trees start to blossom
  3. The August bank holiday, the first Monday in August  (3 August 2015) 
    This holiday was selected for convenience, providing a bank holiday where there would otherwise would be a four-month interlude.
  4. Halloween, the last Monday in October (26 October 2015)
    Halloween is always 31 October so the long weekend that falls at the end of the month is often used as a part of the festivities of Halloween. Frequently this weekend is also when daylight savings time ends in Ireland.

IMG_7061On bank holidays, we tend to relax, spend time with family or friends, take a three-day trip somewhere or visit cultural centres nearby. These long weekends can become quite busy in the popular holiday locations, for example the Love Gourmet Week where top restaurants in the Limerick and Shannon Region offer gourmet dining experiences over the June Bank Holiday, or at the Galway Races Summer Festival that runs for the few days up to and including the August Bank Holiday, or the Thurles Halloween Arts Festival that runs over the October long weekend.

ST-PATRICKS-DAY2-images-and-graphicsPublic Holidays 2015:

  • 1 January, Thursday: New Years´s Day
  • 17 March, Tuesday: St Patrick´s Day
  • 6 April, Monday: Easter Monday
  • 25 December, Friday: Christmas Day
  • 26 December, Saturday: St. Stephen’s Day.It is an occasion to commemorate the life of St Stephen, a Christian martyr. Many people spend the day quietly with close friends or family.

On all public holidays, banks, schools and most businesses are closed and public transport is usually on a less-frequent timetable, although more and more shops are opening on public holidays now.

We hope this information have been interested for you! See you next week, and greeting from the team at  Travelling Languages…Your language school on the road.