2026 calendar(Image: GETTY)
The first bank holiday of 2026 is here, giving people across Ireland a well earned break after the New Year’s celebrations.
With the full list of Ireland’s 2026 bank holidays now confirmed, it’s a handy guide for anyone planning trips, family time or just a bit of rest.
There are ten bank holidays in total this year, and most employees are entitled to paid leave under the Organisation of Working Time Act. While schools and many businesses close, services such as public transport continue to operate, often with reduced schedules.
So far, the only bank holiday to pass is today’s New Year’s Day. After this, there will be a steady stream of breaks in February, March, April, May and June, followed by August and October, and wrapping up with Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day in December.
One notable change for 2026 comes at the end of the year. St Stephen’s Day (December 26) falls on a Saturday, which means most workers are entitled to a substitute benefit – effectively an extra day off – to compensate for the public holiday landing on a weekend.
According to Citizen’s 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 confirmed that employers must provide one of the following options:
- a paid day off within a month of that day
- an additional day of annual leave
- an additional day of pay
This change means many Irish workers will enjoy a bonus break over the festive season later this year.
This change will be even more pronounced in 2027 when both Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day fall on the weekend – Saturday and Sunday – meaning two extra days off could be on offer for many employees, depending on employer arrangements.
Full list of 2026 bank holidays
- Thursday, January 1 – New Year’s Day
- Monday, February 2 – St Brigid’s Day
- Tuesday, March 17 – St Patrick’s Day
- Monday, April 6 – Easter Monday
- Monday, May 4 – May Bank Holiday
- Monday, June 1 – June Bank Holiday
- Monday, August 3 – August Bank Holiday
- Monday, October 26 – October Bank Holiday
- Friday, December 25 – Christmas Day
- Saturday, December 26 – St Stephen’s Day
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.